Immunity 1: Vaccinology

Question 1

What types of vaccines are there? [4]

Answer 1

Live attenuated
Inactivated
Subunit
Toxoid

Question 2

Give some examples of live attenuated vaccines

Answer 2

-BCG
Nasal flu vaccine 
Yellow Fever 
MMR 
Varicella
 Oral polio 
Rotavirus

Question 3

Give some examples of inactivated vaccines

Answer 3

Pathogens that have been killed by chemicals or heat

• inactivated polio
• Hep A
• Inactivated flu vaccine(influenza)

Question 4

Give some examples of subunit/conjugate vaccines

Answer 4

Contain portion of the pathogen

• Haemphilus influenza (type B)
• Hep B
• HPV
• Bordetella pertussiis
• Strep pneumonia
• Varicella zoster
• N.meningiditis

Question 5

Give some examples of toxoid vaccines

Answer 5

• Contain inactivated toxins produced by pathogens

- tetanus, diptheria

Question 6

What vaccines are given at 8 weeks old?

Answer 6

Diptheria
Tetanus
Pertussis 
Polio
H. influenza type B 
Hep B

Pneumococcal
Meningicoccal
Rotavirus

Question 7

What is a live vaccine?

Answer 7

Pathogens have been weakened but not killed

cannot normally cause disease

must not be given to individuals with a compromised immune system

closer to a natural infection

produce strong immune responses
often providing lifelong protection

Question 8

What are inactivated vaccines?

Answer 8

inactivated agent cannot replicate in the body
but the immune system can recognise it

Requires several doses- booster

Question 9

Whats meant by a passive vaccine?

Answer 9

Exposure prophylaxis

providing the organisms with a

’prefabricated’ immune response

for example post-exposition prophylaxis with anti-Hepatitis-B antibodies

Question 10

When are the childhood diphtheria vaccinations are given ?

Answer 10

8, 12 and 16 weeks: 6-in-1 vaccine(3 separate doses)

3 years 4 months: 4-in-1 pre-school booster

14 years: 3-in-1 teenage booster

Question 11

What is VZV hyperimmune globulin (VZVIG) ?

Answer 11

effective prophylaxis for babies born to mothers who develop varicella in a 1-week period before or after delivery

Question 12

What is herd immunity?

Answer 12

Virus spread stops when probability of infection drops under certain threshold

Question 13

What is an adjuvant?

Answer 13

• Adjuvants- immune potentiators to increase the immunogenicity of the vaccine
• Boost immune response to the antigen
• Eg alum, lipopolysaccharide
• Work by binding to pattern-recognition receptors on antigen presenting cells
• This enhances co-stimulation and cytokine secretion, which ensures a robust T/B cell response
• Important field for development in order to improve responses to subunit vaccines
• Novel adjuvants are toll-like receptor ligands eg CPG repeats