An altered relationship of influenza vaccine-specific IgG responses with T cell immunity occurs with aging in humans

• IgG responses to influenza vaccine decreased with aging.
• Association of IgG responses and HI titers in influenza vaccine altered with aging.
• Aging affected the link of T cell cytokines with IgG responses to influenza vaccine.
• Aging altered the link of T cell proportions with IgG responses to influenza vaccine.

Alterations in T cell immunity occur with aging. Influenza causes significant morbidity and mortality in the elderly. We investigated the relationship of serum IgG responses with hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) antibody titers and the frequency of distinct T cell subsets in young and elderly people who received the inactivated influenza vaccine. Influenza vaccine-specific IgG responses correlated with the increase of HI antibody titers and the frequency of CD4+ T cells producing IFN-γ and IL-17 in young, but not elderly, people. Also, only in young people, such IgG responses correlated with the frequency of memory T cells, especially central memory cells, CD45RA− effector memory CD8+ T cells and IL-7 receptor alpha high effector memory CD8+ T cells with potent survival and proliferative capacity. These findings suggest that aging alters the association of influenza-vaccine specific IgG responses with HI antibody titers, cytokine-producing capacity and proportions of memory T cells in humans.