Vaccination

Question 1

Purpose of vaccination?

Answer 1

Vaccination is the generation of
Immune Memory in the absence of harmful infection

Question 2

What is the R number?

Answer 2

Number of cases one case generates on average over the course of infectious period.

Question 3

What R number means disease will spread?

Answer 3

R > 1

Question 4

What R number means disease will eventually die out?

Answer 4

R < 1

Question 5

What does the R number mean for vaccination?

Answer 5

A higher R number means you will need higher herd immunity.

Question 6

What are the 5 types of vaccines?

Answer 6

Inactivated Toxoid vaccine
Recombinant protein vaccine
Conjugate vaccine
Dead pathogen vaccine
Live attenuated vaccine

Question 7

How does the inactivated toxoid vaccine work?

Answer 7

Chemically inactivated form of toxin. Induces antibody response as antibody blocks toxin.

Question 8

Advantages of inactivated toxoid vaccine?

Answer 8

Cheap and safe.

Question 9

Disadvantage of inactivated toxoid vaccine?

Answer 9

Only can be produced if pathogen produces a toxin.

Question 10

How are Recombinant protein vaccines produced?

Answer 10

Surface antigen gene is isolated. Gene is inserted to the yeast cell DNA. Yeast produces antigen. Antigen is purified and use in vaccine.

Question 11

Advantages of recombinant protein vaccines?

Answer 11

Safe.

Question 12

Disadvantages of recombinant protein vaccines?

Answer 12

Relatively expensive and not very immunogenic.

Question 13

What challenge is present when making vaccines for bacteria? What type of vaccine overcomes this challenge?

Answer 13

Bacterial often have a capsule which is made of a polysaccharide. This is not very good at inducing a B cell response since it is a thymus independent antigen. Conjugate vaccines.

Question 14

How do conjugate vaccines work?

Answer 14

Polysaccharide coat is coupled to an immunogenic carrier protein. Protein enlists CD4 cells to boost B cell response to polysaccharide.

Question 15

Advantages of conjugate vaccines?

Answer 15

Highly effective at controlling bacterial infection.

Question 16

Disadvantages of conjugate vaccines?

Answer 16

Cost, carrier protein interference, very strain specific.

Question 17

How do dead pathogen vaccines work?

Answer 17

Chemically killed pathogen that induces antibody and T cell responses.

Question 18

Advantages of dead pathogen vaccines?

Answer 18

Immunogenic as you leave antigenic components intact and in context of other antigen. Cheap. Quick.

Question 19

Disadvantages of dead pathogen vaccines?

Answer 19

Pathogen needs to be grown, antigenic drift can occur when grown and chemicals can also alter the antigen(not same pathogen that is present in population).

Question 20

How do live attenuated vaccines work?

Answer 20

Pathogen continually grown and mutated until it loses its virulence. Can be given to individual and can replicate.

Question 21

Advantages of live attenuated vaccines?

Answer 21

Can trigger a strong immune response and provides immunity in local site of infection.

Question 22

Disadvantages of live attenuated vaccines?

Answer 22

Can affect immunocompromised badly and could revert to virulence. Attenuation may lose key antigens.

Question 23

What do adjuvants do and how do they work?

Answer 23

Present in vaccines and give a more robust immune response. They do this by inducing danger signals that activate dendritic cells and these can present antigen to T cells. Upregulates stimulatory cytokines.

Question 24

Why do we need new vaccines?

Answer 24

Aging population. New diseases. Antibiotic resistance.

Question 25

Barriers to future vaccines?

Answer 25

Cold chain and cost. High variation in target organism (HIV).

Question 26

Vaccines against viruses are usually of what type?

Answer 26

Either live-attenuated or killed.