Principles of Immunisation

Question 1

Vaccination is what form of immunity?

Answer 1

Acquired active artificial

Question 2

Give 6 types of vaccines and examples of what they are used against

Answer 2

Live attenuated - MMR
Killed - Polio
Toxoid - DTaP
Subunit - Influenza
Conjugate - Hep B/HPV
DNA - (not licensed for human use)

Question 3

Describe live attenuated vaccines

Answer 3

Sample is attenuated (allowed to establish multiple generations) in a lab to reduce pathogenicity
Causes very strong immune response

Question 4

Killed vaccines

Answer 4

Inactivated with formaldehyde
Causes a weaker immune response
Often requires an adjuvant

Question 5

Toxoid vaccines

Answer 5

Toxin is treated with formalin
Retains its antigenicity but loses its toxicity
Only induces immunity against the toxin, not the originating organism

Question 6

Subunit vaccines

Answer 6

Only antigens that stimulate the immune response best, usually epitopes
Contains no infectious agent
Increasing purity reduces immunogenicity - may need an adjuvant

Question 7

Conjugate vaccines

Answer 7

Where a pathogen’s antigen is a carbohydrate, it isn’t very effective.
A protein is added to it before inoculation to aid the body recognise and produce antibodies for it

Question 8

What are the contraindications of vaccination?

Answer 8

Temporary - pregnancy/febrile illness

Permanent - allergy/immunocompromisation

Question 9

What is an adjuvant?

Answer 9

A substance that enhances the immune response to an antigen

e.g. aluminium salts (causes mild inflammation but allows the generation of immunological memory)