Vaccine development

Question 1

passive immunity disadvantages

Answer 1

serum sickness, no memory

Question 2

killed whole organism vaccine

Answer 2

target whole organism, virus must be killed, booster shots required, effective and easy to manufacture, not good at generating antibodies. eg polio

Question 3

attenuated whole organism

Answer 3

an avirulent strain of target organism is isolated, simulate natural infection, reversion back to virulent form, stops it being able to grow in human cells. refrigeration required. Oral polio, measles, Tuberculosis

Question 4

subunit vaccines

Answer 4

recombinant proteins, safe and easy, not very immunogenic so need booster, need to understand how to generate immunity, Hep B and HPV

Question 5

toxoid vaccine

Answer 5

toxin is treated with formalin so becomes toxoid. toxoid retains antigenicity but has no toxic activity, only induces immunity against toxin not organism that produces it. eg tetanus, diphtheria

Question 6

when u shouldn’t take vaccine

Answer 6

pregnancy, febrile illness, allergy, immunocompromised

Question 7

herd immunity

Answer 7

vaccinated individuals are less likely to be source of infection to others so reduces risk of unvaccinated people getting infection

Question 8

challenges facing vaccines (6)

Answer 8

vaccines cannot work against all infectious diseases eg malaria, persistence, generation of memory cells, protection of vulnerable groups, antigenic shift and drift and strain diversity eg flu, cold chain network

Question 9

antigenic shift

Answer 9

confection of a host with the virus eg swine flu and bird flu allows genetic reassortments that give rise to novel antigentically distinct virus particles and these increase virulence as the immune system does not know this new strain

Question 10

antigenic drift

Answer 10

arises from point mutations

Question 11

cold chain network

Answer 11

maintain product quality from time of manufacture until point of administration eg temperature

Question 12

why are neonates more vulnerable

Answer 12

fewer FDC, B cells do not send second signal to produce more T cells, short term antibody production

Question 13

why are elderly more vulnerable

Answer 13

reduced efficacy or responsiveness, oligoclonal response lacks specificity,, reduced plasma cell survival niches (places for them to live)

Question 14

conjugate vaccine

Answer 14

conjugate vaccine is a type of vaccine which combines a weak antigen with a strong antigen as a carrier so that the immune system has a stronger response to the weak antigen. eg carbohydrates poor antigen

Question 15

what kind of vaccines are used for very difficult to treat diseases

Answer 15

peronalised vaccines. blood sample vs vaccines and find what is most effective