Week 7 - Biological agents Flashcards
What are the characteristics of relatively crude biologics?
contain cells, tissue or entire organisms
Describe the characteristics of Standardised by bioassay.
Expressed in units of biological activity
What are some unique hazards?
- risk of infection
- microbial contamination
- alter patterns of disease
What are some Biological Agents?
- active immunising agents (vaccines)
- Passive immunising agents (Ab Products)
- Enzymes and venoms
- Allergenic extracts
- Diagnostic products
- Cellular therapies
What are the specific differences in Natural immunity?
- Cold Blooded vs. warm blooded diseases
- Some animal diseases can be transmitted to humans such as rabies
- many human diseases not in animals such as measles, mumps
Describe the Ethnicity Differences
- different ethnicities have difference susceptibility to infections
- factors involved not well known
- Environmental immunity result of resistance and exposure to diseases
What are some gender differences?
- Gene encoding differences
- Hormonal differences
What are the two antibodies active during natural processes?
IgG transferred from mother to fetus and IgA in mothers milk
What is the active Artificially acquired immunity?
- vaccine or toxin
- slow onset = protective levels not achieved for 1-2 weeks
- subsequent exposure results in faster and stronger response but memory not infinte
How is passive artifically acquired immunity acquired?
immunoglobulins or antibodies
- quick onset but short duration
What are the 3 things required when producing a vaccine?
- attenuation
- inactivation
- subunit/conjugate
What are some additives added to a vaccine
- Stabilisers = gelatin and lactose
- Adjuvants = aluminium salts
- Diluents = saline or sterile water
- preservatives
- mostly used for multi-dose vials
- thiomersal, phenoxythenaol and phenol
What remnant from manufacturing can kill vaccine’s virus?
Formaldehyde
What helps prevent contamination while growing virus in labs?
Antibiotics such as gentamicin or kanamycin
What are some growth mediums?
Yeast or egg
What is passive immunising agents and how does it protect?
They offer protection during critical period of exposure
Immediate but transient protection - lasts only a few weeks (IgG half - life between 3 and 4 weeks)
What agent is involved in Passive immunising agents?
Immunoglobulins produced in another individual are introduced into host.
What is Homologous Sera?
- Source of pooled plasma of adult donors
- includes immunoglobulins from gen pop and hyper-immune donors for specific diseases
What does processing include in Homologous Sera?
Fractional precipitation
Maintains rigorous control of pH
Ionic Strength
What step is used due to the risk of prion transmission?
Pasteurisation
What is normal human Immunoglobulin?
- Contains sufficiently high antibody concentration against HEP A, measles and polio
- not of value for mumps
How can normal human ig homologous sera be prepared?
IM and IV
patient with abnormal antibody production usually given IV preparations
Describe Hepatitis B immunoglobulin
High risk patient
what are zoster immunoglobulin?
Prevent or ameliorate varicella in infants <1mth, pregnant women, or children on immunosuppressants
