Extensive research has highlighted the role of infection-induced epigenetic events in the development of cancer. More recently, attention has focused on the ability of non-carcinogenic infections, as well as vaccines, to modify the human epigenome and modulate the immune response. This review explores this rapidly evolving area of investigation and outlines the many and varied ways in which vaccination and natural infection can influence the human epigenome from modulation of the innate and adaptive immune response, to biological ageing and modification of disease risk. The implications of these epigenetic changes on immune regulation and their potential application to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic infection and vaccine development are also discussed.

广泛的研究强调了感染诱导的表观遗传事件在癌症发展中的作用。最近，人们的注意力集中在非致癌感染以及疫苗改变人类表观基因组和调节免疫反应的能力上。这篇综述探讨了这一快速发展的研究领域，并概述了疫苗接种和自然感染影响人类表观基因组的多种方式，从调节先天和适应性免疫反应到生物衰老和疾病风险的改变。还讨论了这些表观遗传变化对免疫调节的影响及其在慢性感染的诊断和治疗以及疫苗开发中的潜在应用。