Immunological differences between urban and rural populations

Geographical differences in the prevalence of allergic and chronic inflammatory diseases as well as in the efficacy of vaccines have been described. To improve our understanding of immunological differences between various human populations, the innate and adaptive immune system and their responses to stimulation have been compared between Europeans and Africans. Furthermore, IgG glycosylation profiles have been compared between several populations and in response to vaccination. In addition, the immune response to controlled human malaria infection has been determined in Europeans and Africans by mass cytometry as well as the role of γδ T cells and CD4+ T cells in immune responses during natural malaria infection in Indonesian children. The results indicated striking differences that need to be taken into account. It might be necessary to develop population-specific vaccines and treatments against infectious, allergic, and chronic inflammatory diseases.