Immunosenescence contributes materially to the decreased ability of the elderly to control infectious disease, which is also reflected in their generally poor response to vaccination. This state is influenced by many genetic and environmental factors, but it has become increasingly clear over the past year that the pathogen load to which individuals are exposed throughout life impacts greatly on immune performance in late life. The link to accelerated immunosenescence in this respect may be via the enhanced pro-inflammatory status observed in the elderly and in chronic disease at any age. Here, we summarise some of the developments in this area and in other important areas of immunosenescence research over the past year.