Vaccines

Question 1

what are the characteristics of a good vaccine?

Answer 1

1. safe
2. effective
3. cheap
4. storable
5. tolerable

Question 2

herd immunity

Answer 2

as the number of vaccinated individuals increases, the infection cannot spread and so dies out

Question 3

modified live vaccines

Answer 3

infectious organisms grown at non-optimal temperatures such that they are less virulent and do not cause disease, but are still immunogenic

an increased risk, especially in immunosuppressed or deficient individuals, for pts becoming ill

Question 4

killed vaccines

Answer 4

do not carry the same risk of infection and so more suitable for compromised individuals, however

not effective for CD8 immunity
immunity retention is shorter

Question 5

conjugate vaccines

Answer 5

attaching a hapten (b-cell epitope) to a carrier protein (t-cell epitope) to generate T-dependent immunity to T-independent antigen. often found w/ encapsulated bacteria

Question 6

toxoid based vaccines

Answer 6

many toxins cause bacterial disease. toxoids are toxins that have been rendered harmless via heat or chemicals, but they have retained their immunogenicity. these can be used in vaccines to vaccinate against toxins such as tetnus, diptheria, and cholera

Question 7

subunit vaccines

Answer 7

using a piece of an anitgen to generate immunity to this epitope, either for cell mediated immunity or humoral immunity

Question 8

adjuvants

Answer 8

injection of purified antigen does not engender an immune response b/c it needs costimulatory signals

adjuvants are injected w/ vaccines to cause these danger signals, and sometimes to direct which branch of the immune system is activated they affect the immune system in the following ways

1. retention of Ag- longer exposure for the immune system
2. aggregates the Ag into larger complexes and immobilize the Ag for immune surveillence
3. inclusion of TLR agonists provides co-stim
4. increases inflammation and recruitment of WBCs

Question 9

passive immunity

Answer 9

provides protection via injection of Abs that are already specific for a given Ag