Vaccines Flashcards
what is immunization
this is the use of a specific immune response to prevent or lessen the severity of disease resulting from infection or the products of an infection (e.g., toxins)
taking advantage of the ability of the adaptive immunity to form specific ling-lasting responses
what are the objectives of immunization
individual protection from infection
- may be for the general population or specific risk groups
when a sufficient number of people are immune, infecting agents can not circulate in a population
elimination of infecting organism may be possible (very hard though)
what is herd immunity
protects those people who remain susceptible (society protection)
who is unable to be vaccinated sometimes
immunocompromised
How do antibodies work
may bind to an antigen and block its biological activity (“neutralizing antibody”)
coat the bacterium and make it more easily phagocytksed by an immune cell because its more identifiable
Bind to an organisms and activates complement to cause lysis and recruit immune cells to the area
what are neutralized antibodies
antibodies that stick to key antigens on a pathogen so they cant bind to certain receptors
What is opsonization
improves clearance of organisms when macrophages can find and chew they up makes phagocytosis easier
Antibodies are produced by ___ that are activated to become ____
B lymphocytes
plasma cells (go through the bloodstream)
Each ___ produces an ___ that is ____ for its target
plasma cell
antibody
specific
When stimulated by an infection or vaccine the ____ cell clone ___
specific B cell
multiplies
What do some of B cells become
memory cells and are long lived to allow a rapid response to subsequent exposure
What are T cells
specific T lymphocytes also survive as memory T cells and remain to regulate the immune response for cells that don’t look right or are cancerous
On re-exposure to the antigen they will multiply and shorten the time to a response
T lymphocytes regulate the immune response and cytotoxic T cells kill infected cells
What is passive immunization
The host receives antibody produced by another host (no memory component)
This protection is short lived (2-3 months) and no long term protection is generated
Ex. IVIG (polyclonal, random antibodies in here not directed at a specific antigen), Hepatitis B Ig (HBIG), Varicella Zoster Ig (VZIG), Rabies Ig, RSV
How does passive immunization work
naturally occurring
therapeutic
what is naturally occurring passive immunization
the neonate receives antibody transplacentally from the mother, or in colostrum (breast milk) this is based on what the mother is exposed to
What is therapeutic passive immunization
antibody (immunoglobulin or Ig) is given
to provide rapid protection after a potential exposure to an agent. e.g., after a needle stick
to lessen the severity of ongoing disease, e.g., antibody given in necrotizing fasciitis
for individuals unable to produce antibody
wheat is active immunization
the generation of immunity by administering an antigen to elicit an immune response in the host
What are the types of active immunization
live attenuated (MMRV)
virus vectors, replicating/non-replicating
inactivated whole cell, subunit, virus like particles
DNA, RNA (COVID-19 mRNA vaccine
Toxoid
How do live live attenuated immunizations work
these use organisms which are limited in their ability to cause disease but share antigenicity with the virulent forms
eg., against TB in infants
how are live attenuated immunizations made
attenuated (whimsy version of the organism) are those that have been repeatedly cultured in the lab until they have lost their virulence properties
How are live attenuated immunizations administered
need not be by injection, and may mimic the natural route of infection
what is the advantage of live attenuated immunizations
that they mimic a natural infection and give stronger and long term immunity, and may not need booster doses
what are the disadvantages of live attenuated immunizations
they may be virulent for immunosuppressed people or in pregnancy
They may revert to the virulent form during the infection in the host
they must be handled properly to maintain viability until they are used (need refrigeration) harder to transport and store, need to be kept at -80 degrees Celsius
what type of immunization is BCG
vaccine used for tuberculosis
a live attenuated
what type of immunization is used for MMRV
= measles/mumps/rubella/varicella
is routinely in childhood and has been very successful in largely eradicating these diseases in the immunized
what is the Sabin polio vaccine
this agent was used to eradicate polio in the Western Hemisphere, it was cheap and gave IgA immunity in the git
oral version
it reverted to the virulent form and so as wild type polio disappeared, the vaccine became more dangerous than the risk of acquiring the disease, and so it was replaced by the killed (Salk) polio vaccine. some places use a combination series of the two types
What are replicating virus vectors
viruses that don’t cause human disease are engineered to express (or cause the expression) of target virus protein
this allows an immune response to the target virus without infection by it
How do replicating virus vectors work
genes for the the relevant protein are inserted into the virus vector
mimics a real infection to give a strong immune response
ex. ebola vaccine