principles of immunisation

Question 1

what two types of immunity are there?

Answer 1

acquired

innate

Question 2

what two forms of acquired immunity are there?

Answer 2

active

passive

Question 3

what two types of active and passive immunisation are there?

Answer 3

natural and artificial

Question 4

how long does active immunity last for?

Answer 4

long term, may be lifelong

Question 5

does active immunity display immunological memory?

Answer 5

yes

Question 6

how quickly does active immunisation take effect?

Answer 6

no immediate effect, but faster and better response to next antigen encounter

Question 7

what is the first antibody that is developed in an immunological response?

Answer 7

IgM

Question 8

what antibody is present in large quantities during the second exposure to a pathogen that someone has been immunised against?

Answer 8

IgG

Question 9

How do live attenuated vaccines work?

Answer 9

live form of the pathogen that has been attenuated is given

Question 10

what are the risks of live attenuated vaccines?

Answer 10

reversion to the fully pathogenic organism may occur

Question 11

how is the pathogenic organism attenuated in a live attenuated vaccine?

Answer 11

repeated passage in a cell culture or non human host

Question 12

when would a live attenuated vaccine be unsuitable to prescribe?

Answer 12

if a patient is immunocompromised or pregnant

Question 13

what are some examples of live attenuated vaccines?

Answer 13

MMR, BCG, Polio, varicella zoster

Question 14

how is a pathogen inactivated in a killed vaccine?

Answer 14

usually chemically inactivated using formaldehyde

Question 15

how does the immune response of a killed vaccine compare to that of a live vaccine?

Answer 15

weaker immune response - multiple doses may be required

Question 16

what do some killed vaccines contain that increases the immune response?

Answer 16

adjuvants

Question 17

what is a toxoid vaccine?

Answer 17

vaccine where toxin is treated with formalin, so the toxoid retains antigenicity but not toxicity

Question 18

what are some possible side effects of killed vaccines?

Answer 18

can produce inflammatory responses against other proteins and antigens contained within the vaccine

Question 19

what does a toxoid produce immunity against?

Answer 19

the toxin itself, not the organism that produces it

Question 20

what are some advantages of subunit vaccines?

Answer 20

no infectious agent, highly purified

easy to produce in large amunts

Question 21

what are some disadvantages of subunit vaccines?

Answer 21

increasing purity of the vaccine leads to a loss of immunogenicity - may need adjuvant

Question 22

what 2 types of subunit vaccines are there?

Answer 22

purified microbial products

recombinant (genetically engineered)

Question 23

how can a recombinant subunit vaccine be made?

Answer 23

gene encoding antigen is excised from the organisms nucleic acid
gene is inserted into yeast chromosome by molecular genetic techinques
yeast grows in culture and produces antigen

Question 24

what is a conjugate vaccine?

Answer 24

vaccine where the original antigen is a carbohydrate capsule which then is conjugated to a protein carrier to make it more effective

Question 25

what are the steps of herd immunity?

Answer 25

primary aim of vaccination is to protect the individual who receives the vaccination
vaccinated individuals are less likely to be a source of infection to others
reduces the risk of unvaccinated individuals being exposed to infection
individuals who cannot be vaccinated still benefit from routine vaccination programmes

Question 26

how does immunising a pregnant woman against a pathogen protect the baby?

Answer 26

antibodies are transferred through the placenta so the baby has some form of immunity when it is born

Question 27

what are some contraindications of vaccination?

Answer 27

temporary - febrile illness, preganant woen cannot be given live attenuated vaccines
permanent - allergy, and immunicompromised patients cannot be given live attenuated vaccines?

Question 28

what are some natural forms of passive immunity?

Answer 28

placental transfer of IgG

colostral transfer of IgA

Question 29

what are some artificial forms of passive immunity?

Answer 29

treatment with immunoglobulin

immune cells

Question 30

what is the difference between human normal immunoglobulin and human specific immunoglobulin?

Answer 30

human normal immunoglobulin contains all antibodies

human specific immunoglobulin is taken from selected blood donors with high antibody titres against a specific organism

Question 31

for what pathogens would you give prophylactic human normal immunoglobulin?

Answer 31

hep A
measles
polio
rubella

Question 32

for what pathogens would you give prophylactic human specific immunoglobulin?

Answer 32

hep B
rabies
tetanus
varicella zoster virus

Question 33

what are the advantages of passive immunity?

Answer 33

immediate protection

Question 34

what are the disadvantages of passive immunity?

Answer 34

hshort term effect - no immunological memort
serum sickness - antibody can be recognised as a foreign antigen by the recipient which can result in anaphylaxis
graft versus host disease ( cell grafts only) incoming immune cells reject the recipient