Vaccines Flashcards
What is an adjuvent?
A compound that increases the immunogenicity of an antigen
What is a very common adjuvent?
aluminum salt
What is passive immunization?
the use of immune serum to give an immediate resistance to an infection
What is active immunization?
the act of immunizing with antigens to induce an immune response to a pathogen
What is a live attenuated vaccine?
a weakened virus that can replicate to a limited extent and is missing major virulence facotrs
What is herd immunity?
when enough individuals are immunised such that the spread of an infection is slowed or halted
What is DPT?
Older faccine that used whole, killed pertussis
What are the typical reactions to DPT?
Very strong immune resonse that usually induced a fever
What is the difference between DTaP and DPT?
DTap is replacing pertussis bacteria with acellular components and an addition of an adjuvent. DPT is whole, killed cells.
The DTap has less severe reactions
Who is Tdap used in? Why is its formulation different?
Tdap is used as a booster in adolescnets and adults. It has a reduced concentration, but there is some wonder as to if it works well
When was the polio vaccine invented?
1950s
What was the original polio vaccine formulated as?
inactivated IM
What is the oral polio vaccine?
live attenuated, no longer used because virus was shed in poop and then polio was transmitted to permissive hosts
What is the formulation of the MMR vaccine?
it is a live attenuated virus
When is the MMR virus typically given to children?
At 12-15 months because Maternal antibodies would prevent the virus from growing and a humoral response from mounting
