Granzyme B: a marker of risk for influenza in institutionalized older adults

Risk for influenza increases with age while cellular immune responses decline. This was a prospective study to determine the relationship between cytokine and granzyme B levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with live influenza virus, and subsequent influenza illness. Granzyme B levels were lower in the group who later developed symptomatic laboratory-confirmed influenza (n = 10) compared to the group who did not (n = 90) (ANOVA, P = 0.024). In contrast, none of the cytokine levels were related to the development of influenza. Thus, granzyme B is a potential marker of influenza risk in older adults. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.