ABSTRACT:
Background: Elderly and malnutrition are associated with an immune disorders and increasing the susceptibility to microbial infections. Objectives: This study aimed to clarify the relation between nutritional state and susceptibility to microbial infections. Materials and methods: This work was applied on 86 malnutrition elderly visited to the center of nutrition in Marjan hospital in Babylon province and Al-Husseini hospital in Karbala province from November 2016 to January 2017, and 21 non malnutrition apparently healthy as controls. Malnutrition elderly consist of (24 females and 30 males) with age ranges 60-90 years, while 21 apparently health controls consist of (6 females and 15 males) with age range 60-90 years. BMI for all subjects malnutrition and controls was estimated. Blood sample were collected from malnutrition group and control group and ELISA test for cytokines (IFN-y and IL-10). Detection of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and Brucellaanti-IgG antibodies were used as indicators for infections in elderly subjects. Results revealed a significant (p=0.05) decreasing in the level VD3 and IFN-y in malnutrition group as compared to normal subjects. By contrast a significant increasing level in IL-10, RSV and anti-Brucella-IgG antibodies in malnutrition group as compared to normal subjects. Regarding the indicators for microbial infections, the results expressed that malnutrition group were highly susceptible to infection with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and anti-Brucella-IgG antibodies represented by a significant increasing ine level of the marker of chronic and recurrent infections which is anti-IgG antibodies specific for each type of pathogens.