Vaccination 101

Question 1

What are two features of diseases that can be controlled by vaccines?

Answer 1

1) poorly infectious 2) antigens relatively invarient

Question 2

What are three features of diseases that are difficult to control by vaccines?

Answer 2

1) highly infectious 2)antigenic variation 3) animal/enviromental reservoirs of infection

Question 3

What are three aims of vaccination?

Answer 3

to induce specific immunity to 1)prevent microbial invasion 2) eliminate microbes 3)neutralize microbial toxins

Question 4

Quickly run through history of vaccines

Answer 4

smallpox immunisation - infection with scab to induce immunity. then in other areas of the world till made illegal in 1842. cowpox to fight smallpox.

Question 5

When was the molecular era?

Answer 5

1970-1990

Question 6

Hepatitis B vaccine?

Answer 6

1981 using recombinant DNA technology

Question 7

What is the future of vaccines?

Answer 7

HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, anti-cancer, anti addiction etc

Question 8

What is prophylactic immunization based on?

Answer 8

Immunologic memory - the ability of the immune system to ‘remember’ the vaccine

Question 9

What are four ‘activating agents’ immunogen molecules?

Answer 9

peptides, polysaccharides, nucleic acids and lipids

Question 10

what are four activating agent immunogen microorganisms?

Answer 10

bacteria, viruses, fungi and protozoa

Question 11

What are the two artificial methods of immunity?

Answer 11

active and passive immunization

Question 12

What is active immunization?

Answer 12

patient mounts a protective immune response

Question 13

what is passive immunization?

Answer 13

patient aquires immunity through transfer of abs

Question 14

what are the three types of vaccine for active immunization?

Answer 14

attenuated (live) vaccines, inactivated (killed) vaccines and toxoid vaccines

Question 15

What is a toxoid vaccine?

Answer 15

a vaccine made from the toxins the mo secretes that cause the illness, rather than the mo itself

Question 16

facts about attenuated vaccines

Answer 16

It uses active pathogenic microbes to create a small infection, leading to a strong immune respose. it only requires one dose, and can create contact immunity, however it’s hazardous.

Question 17

Facts about inactivated vaccines

Answer 17

these can ether be whole agent vaccines or subunit vaccines. it is safer than live vaccines but antigenically weak and often contain adjuvants which enhance the bodies immune response

Question 18

what is an adjuvant?

Answer 18

enhances the bodies immune response

Question 19

Give four examples of inactivated vaccines

Answer 19

viruses, bacteria, protein based or poly based

Question 20

give two common adjuvants and their effects

Answer 20

aluminium phosphate slows the processing and degradation of the antigen and saporin stimulates t cell responses

Question 21

what is saporin/what does it do?

Answer 21

a plant product used as an adjuvant that stimulates t cell responses

Question 22

what is aluminium phosphate used for?

Answer 22

to slow the processing and degradation of antigens

Question 23

facts about toxoid vaccines?

Answer 23

modified toxins that are useful for some bacterial diseases and instigate antibody-mediated immunity, but require multiple doses.

Question 24

what kind of immunity do toxoid vaccines instigate?

Answer 24

antibody mediated

Question 25

what has recombinant gene therapy got to do with actve immunization?

Answer 25

research attempts are being made to make more effective, cheaper, safer vaccines. and recombinant gene therapy is a technique being looked into

Question 26

what are four methods of using recombinant gene technology to create vaccines?

Answer 26

1) detecting the virulence gene in a pathogen and modifying it to create a harmless pathogen 2) isolating the DNA coding for the antigen, inserting into intermediate cell which synthesizes the antigen 3)isolating DNA coding for antigen, inserting it into a virus or other cell which presents it and 4) isolating dna coding for antigen, inserting it into a plasmid vector and inserting vector into cell which makes antigen.

Question 27

What are problems associated with immunization?

Answer 27

mild toxicity, pain, anaphylaxis, virulence and autism

Question 28

What is the method of PASSIVE immunisation?

Answer 28

admin of antiserum as immediate protection against a recent infection or an ongoing disease

Question 29

what are 3 limitations to passive immunisation?

Answer 29

serum sickness, may be contaminated with the virus, abs degrate quickly

Question 30

How may the limitations to passive immunisation be overcome?

Answer 30

hybridomas, which are formed by fusing plasma cells and myeloma cells to produce antibodies

Question 31

What is the main difference between passive and active immunisation?

Answer 31

passive results in a huge amount of abs immediately, quickly degrading to 0 whilst active steadily builds up # of abs aided by boosters till the body KNOWS

Question 32

What are four of WHOs properties of an ideal vaccine?

Answer 32

safe, affordable, heat stable and effective to a single dose.