the present invention is based on the surprising discovery that agonists of tlr8 are uniquely efficacious in enhancing the immune response of newborns . thus , agonists of tlr8 serve as both vaccine adjuvants and as adjunctive therapies for acute infection in newborns , preferably the agonist is a tlr8 - selective agonist . the immune response induced , or enhanced , in the neonatal host can be , for example , a cytokine immune response and / or a humoral immune response .