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Despite the established evidence of the strong negative effect exerted by PTPN22*T1858 allele on immune system, conferring high susceptibility to a large subset of autoim- mune diseases, we report a lack of association of PTPN22 1858C[T polymorphism with human longevity. Thus, the ability to survive to old age, and to reach even exceptional life expectancy, is largely unaffected by the genetically determined efficacy of the PTPN22-based immune response. On the other hand, it is noteworthy that the autoimmunity high-risk PTPN22*T1858 allele has been previously associated with a significant protective effect on Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection [30, 31]. This is an interesting fact since the burden of tuberculosis in the elderly is likely to continue to increase substantially [32].

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