[Aging and respiratory infections in laboratory animals].

Respiratory infections are known as one of significant causes of death in old human as well as aged laboratory animals. However, there is not strong evidence of increase of spontaneous pneumonias incidence in aged rats and mice. Moreover, numerous experimental investigations with different respiratory pathogens did not elucidate clear age-related changes of infection susceptibility even for one and same disease agent yet. It is paradoxical that decline of lung infection mortality of aged animals in compare to young animals was found in some observations. Respectively, investigations of innate and adoptive immunity role in pathogenesis of respiratory infections in old laboratory animals also produced undetermined results. It is probable that such situation is not only related to complex character of age-associated changes in respiratory system, but also to absence of conventional and adequate models for research of the problem.