Age-associated alterations of the immune system, which known as "immunosenescence", is characterized by a decline in innate and adaptive immunity, which leading to increased susceptibility to age-associated diseases, such as infectious diseases, rheumatic disease and malignancies. On the other hand, helminth infections are among the most prevalent infections in older individuals, especially in the nursing homes. Most of helminth infections have minor clinical symptoms and usually causing chronic infections without treatment. Nevertheless, chronic helminthiasis alters immune responses somewhat similar to the immunosenescence. Some similarities also exist between helminth infections and immunosenescence: 1) both of them led to declining the immune responses; 2) undernutrition is a consequence of immunosenescence and helminthiasis; 3) vaccine efficacy declines in aging and individuals with helminth infections; 4) increase incidence and prevalence of infectious diseases in the elder individuals and patients with helminth infections; and 5) both of them promote tumorigenesis. Hence, it is probable that helminth infections in the elderly population can intensify the immunosenescence outcomes due to the synergistic immunoregulatory effects of each of them. It would be suggested that, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of helminth infections should be more considered in older individuals. Also, it would be suggested that helminths or their antigens can be used for investigation of immunosenescence because both of them possess some similarities in immune alterations. Taken together, this review offers new insights into the immunology of aging and helminth infections.

中文翻译：

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蠕虫感染和免疫衰老：我敌人的朋友。

免疫系统的与年龄相关的改变，称为“免疫衰老”，其特征在于先天和适应性免疫力的下降，这导致对与年龄相关的疾病（如传染病，风湿性疾病和恶性肿瘤）的敏感性增加。另一方面，在老年人中，尤其是在疗养院中，蠕虫感染是最普遍的感染之一。大多数蠕虫感染具有轻微的临床症状，通常不经治疗即可引起慢性感染。尽管如此，慢性蠕虫病会改变免疫反应，与免疫衰老有些相似。蠕虫感染和免疫衰老之间也存在一些相似之处：1）两者均导致免疫反应下降。2）营养不良是免疫衰老和蠕虫病的结果；3）衰老和感染蠕虫的人的疫苗功效下降；4）增加老年人和蠕虫感染患者的传染病发病率和流行率；5）它们都促进肿瘤发生。因此，老年人中的蠕虫感染很可能由于它们各自的协同免疫调节作用而增强免疫衰老的结果。建议在老年人中应更多地考虑诊断，治疗和预防蠕虫感染。另外，由于它们在免疫改变中具有某些相似性，因此建议将蠕虫或它们的抗原用于研究免疫衰老。综上所述，本综述为衰老和蠕虫感染的免疫学提供了新的见解。