immunisation Flashcards
(27 cards)
What is the process of eliciting a long-lived state of protective immunity against a disease-causing pathogen called?
Immunisation
What is the intentional exposure to forms of a pathogen that do not cause disease?
Vaccination
What are the two types of immunisation?
- Passive
- Active
What is passive immunisation?
Immunisation with preformed antibodies or anti-serum
Does passive immunisation activate the immune system?
No, therefore no memory
What are examples of passive immunisation?
- Maternal antibody
- Antitoxin
- Anti-venom
- Antiserum for tetanus, rabies, hepatitis A and B
What are some problems associated with passive immunisation?
- Immune response to foreign proteins
- Anaphylaxis
- Serum sickness
What is active immunisation aimed at eliciting?
Protective immunity and immunological memory
What is the lag phase in antibody response after vaccination?
3-30 days, average 10 days
What is the difference between primary and secondary antibody response?
Secondary response has a shorter lag phase and higher antibody levels
What type of antibodies are produced in the primary response?
- IgG
- IgM
What is class switching in antibody response?
Shift from IgM to IgG, with possible appearance of IgA and IgE
What cells are produced during clonal expansion?
- Effector cells
- Memory cells
Where does memory B cell formation occur?
Germinal centre in secondary lymphoid organs
What are the characteristics of memory B cells?
- Express high-affinity BCRs
- Circulate in blood and lymphoid tissues
- Rapidly differentiate into plasma cells upon re-exposure
What types of memory T cells exist?
- Central Memory T Cells (T_CM)
- Effector Memory T Cells (T_EM)
- Tissue-Resident Memory T Cells (T_RM)
- Stem-like Memory T Cells (T_SCM)
Which cytokines are crucial for T cell memory maintenance?
- IL-7
- IL-15
What are the characteristics of an ideal vaccine?
- Safe
- Price-effective
- Stable
- Long protection
- Induces antibodies and T cells
- Provides herd immunity
What is a live, attenuated vaccine?
A vaccine that uses a viable but non-disease-causing form of the pathogen
What is a killed or inactivated vaccine?
A vaccine where the pathogen is killed but can still induce an immune response
What is a subunit vaccine?
A vaccine that mounts an immune response against a component of the pathogen
What are inactivated toxins or toxoids?
Vaccines against toxins that are treated to prevent their effect but retain antigenicity
What are the advantages of viral vector vaccines?
- Can be produced on a large scale
- Triggers immune response without causing disease
What is a nucleic acid vaccine?
A vaccine that uses DNA or RNA to provide instructions for specific proteins
