Adult survivors of invasive pneumococcal disease exhibit defective B cell function.

Adults who have recovered from an episode of invasive pneumococcal disease demonstrate defective B cell activation in response to alpha delta-dex, a polyclonal polysaccharide mimic, compared with matched control subjects. The defect is not overcome by CD4(+) T cell assistance and may explain the relatively poor response to pneumococcal vaccination in survivors of invasive pneumococcal disease.