vaccines Flashcards
what is a vaccine, what does it do for the body?
- preparation that is injected to stimulate the body immune system response against a virus or disease
- it imitates the bacteria/virus using mRNA or weakened version of it
what is the idea of herd immunity?
you are not only protecting yourself by getting vaccines but those around you
- the more vaccinated the less spread
what does it mean when a R0 number is high?
a higher % of the population needs to vaccinated to stop the spread
can cowpox be transmitted to humans?
is it fatal to humans?
yes it can be transmitted
no it is not fatal
what did Edward Jenner do?
make the first vaccine using cowpox to prevent small pox
- known as the father of immunology
what was variolation (Jenner)
taking a sample of smallpox and infecting healthy individuals
what did Jenner later figure out he could do to prevent smallpox?
Jenner took pus from a cowpox sore and put it in skin scratches - when tested the same boy got infected by smallpox but never got smallpox
- safer then variolation
when did smallpox eradication?
in 1980
what is in mRNA? and what are there functions?
- lipids - protect + deliver mRNA to the cell
- salts - balance acidity/pH in the body
3.acids + acid stability - helps to maintain pH + stability
how do mRNA vaccines work?
sar-cov-2 virus
- mRNA encoding spike proteins
- lipid nanoparticles
- spikes proteins (antibodies)
can mRNA vaccines alter DNA?
no, they can not
