Chapter 18: Practical applications of Immunology

Question 1

Monoclonal antibodies:

Answer 1

Antibodies from a single hybridoma clone. A combination of immortal cancerous B cell + antibody producing normal B cell. Recognizes only a single epitope of an antigen and is extremely specific

Question 2

Polyclonal antibodies:(produced by human body)

Answer 2

Are produced by multiple immune cells. recognize multiple epitopes of a single antigen.

Question 3

How are monoclonal antibodies formed?

Answer 3

by fusing myeloma cells
(cancerous) with spleen cells (B) from the mouse immunized with the target antigen to produce a hybridoma

Question 4

What is molecular mimicry? How does this phenomenon make working with antibodies difficult?

Answer 4

When two very different antigens share a common epitope. Can cause odd immune reactions (attacking the self cell, by mistaking it for the pathogen it mimicked)

Question 5

What is seroconversion?

Answer 5

Time period during which a specific antibody develops and becomes detectable in the blood.

Question 6

What is a titer?

Answer 6

Concentration of serum antibody. (High serum antibody titer+ greater immunity to disease)

Question 7

What does the abbreviation ELISA stand for?

Answer 7

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay

Question 8

What are the two basic types of ELISA’s?

Answer 8

• Direct: detects antigens. Forms sandwich of antibody/drug/enzyme-linked antibody. Ex. rapid covid test
• Indirect: Detects antibodies. Forms sandwich of virus/antibody/enzyme-linked-anti-HISG. Ex. HIV test

Question 9

Vaccine:

Answer 9

Suspension or fractions of organisms used to induce immunity.

Question 10

Why do we give a vaccine and importance of them?

Answer 10

Most desirable method of disease control, and creates herd immunity.
Ultimate goal is to reduce severity of disease and stop death.

Question 11

Immunity:

Answer 11

Ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin. (herd immunity)

Question 12

Which two types of vaccines use the entire pathogen? Cellular vaccines

Answer 12

• Inactivated Killed Vaccines: Kept intact so immune s. can recognize. Destroys pathogens ability to reproduce. Safer than live vaccines, but risk of incomplete activation (needs booster doses; no cell memory)
• Live attenuated Vaccine: weakened version of pathogen

Question 13

Why is a live attenuated vaccine more effective at eliciting strong immune responses and good memory?

Answer 13

• Mimics actual infection
• Organism is weakened but still alive and able to replicate in the host without causing disease; replication induces humoral and cellular immunity.
• Lifelong immunity (95 % effectiveness)

Question 14

Which types of vaccines do not use the entire pathogen? Acellular vaccines

Answer 14

• Subunit vaccines: contain only selected antigenic fragments.

(toxoids, conjugated etc.) and nucleic acid.

Question 15

Subunit vaccine: Recombinant

Answer 15

genetically modified nonpathogenic microbe to produce an antigenic fraction. Hepatitis B vaccine.

Question 16

Subunit vaccine:
Conjugated

Answer 16

Developed for children’s poor immune response to vaccines based on capsular polysaccharides.

Question 17

Subunit vaccine:
Toxoids

Answer 17

Contain inactivated pathogen toxins, eliciting an antibody response against toxin.
Tetanus vaccine.

Question 18

Subunit vaccine:
Virus like particle

Answer 18

Do not contain any viral genetic material (resemble intact viruses)
Human papilloma vaccine.

Question 19

Why is it necessary to offer a conjugated vaccine?

Answer 19

Children are still developing their immune system, meaning they might have a poor immune response to certain antigens. Conjugate vaccines attaches a small antigen with a larger stronger antigen, the combination of 2 components create a stronger immune response; resulting in the most effective form of immunization.

Question 20

Types of nucleic acid vaccines:

Answer 20

-mRNA: use genetic material from a pathogen to stimulate an immune response against it. Either DNA or RNA.

• Recombinant vector vaccines: a part of pathogen’s DNA is added to a non-pathogenic virus, which is used as a delivery vehicle.

*nucleic acid vaccines induce both humoral and cellular immunity, producing memory B and T cells. Best vaccine yet, no risk of mutation, just the benefits *

Question 21

Herd immunity:

Answer 21

a form of indirect protection to contagious diseases. It occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population has become immune to an infection, whether through previous infections or vaccination. Reduces the spread of disease from person to person.

Question 22

Explain the importance of vaccines to a patient:

Answer 22

Vaccines are the best method of disease control. They help your immune system to create memory cells of the pathogen so if you ever encounter it again, your immune system will attack it quickly and effectively. Even if vaccines have side effects, getting the disease while not being vaccinated results in a higher risk for complications. Vaccines also create herd immunity which prevents the spread of more viruses. Ultimately, vaccines reduce the severity of disease and could prevent death.

Question 23

What types of vaccines Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson and Johnson fall under SARS-CoV-2?

Answer 23

> Moderna: mRNA
Pfizer: mRNA
J&J: Viral vector vaccine.

Both utilize nucleic acid as the major component of the vaccine.