vaccination against bacterial infection

Question 1

Why is Vaccinations important in bacterial infections

Answer 1

Because some bacteria is resistance towards antibiotics!

Question 2

What is the difference between passive immunization and vaccines

Answer 2

Passive immunization is purified antibodies. This can be used in people with burn wounds since the risk of bacterial infection is extremely high

vaccination is the active immunization, dependent on the host immune system, use the bacteria to create an immune response

Question 3

Development of vaccines - Reverse vaccinology

Answer 3

1. Sequence the pathogens, identify protein expression and different ORF
2. associate the identifies proteins to surface expression or toxins
3. amplify the protein by expressing them in E.coli, purify etc.
4. Immunize mouse model with proteins of interest together with adjuvant
5. Analyze the mouse antibodies to identify good immunogenic properties - Antibody and protein interaction; western, ELISA, FACS
6. In vitro and in vivo assays
7. select Ag candidate from the several pathogenic protein trials
8. Preclinical trial - human vaccination

Question 4

What are the challenges of developing an affective vaccine

Answer 4

• Single antigen targets often used
• Inadequate animal models
• Effective immune evasion mechanisms
• insufficient knowledge about pathogenicity mechanism
• multitude of infections
• immunity not fully understood
• role of circulating antibodies might be overestimated

Question 5

Which target antigens can be used in vaccination against bacteria

Answer 5

• Whole cell
• Cell surface structures - opsonization
• Adhesion - weakens
• Toxoids - neutralizing Ab
• capsular polysaccarides
• proteins involved in immune evasion