What is Vaccine ? What are different methods of prepration of vaccine.

What is Vaccine 

• Vaccine is a harmless pathogen that is able to induce the immune system.

• Vaccines are isolated from disease-causing microorganisms. The vaccine is injected into the bloodstream where it produces antibodies by using our B cells of blood. These antibodies neutralise or inactivate the antigen ( foreign protein)

Read more about the our immune system

• Due to this , this response to encounter of antigen produces memory cells and is ready to produce a quick immune response by our immune system against the antigen.

Different methods of prepration of vaccine.

• A live and virulent organism can not be used as a vaccine.

• So the first step of making of vaccine is to make an inactive disease causing organism or Pathogen. This can be done in various ways.

Read more about the Pathogen and how does it adapted in body of host

• First, Disease causing organism is killed using formalin. This type of vaccine is called inactivated or killed Vaccine.

• Example of killed vaccines in common use is typhoid vaccine and polio vaccine.

• Another way for the formation of vaccines is to use the antigenic part like capsule or protein cell wall of disease causing organisms. This type of vaccine is called acellular vaccine.

• Vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae is a type of acellular vaccine.

• 👌👌Remember - Killed vaccine or acellular vaccine can not induce  our immune system so these vaccines require a booster every few years to get effectiveness for these vaccines. 

• Another way of making vaccines is to make weak disease- causing organisms by aging through changing its growth conditions. This is called Attenuate vaccine.

• This vaccine is often the most successful vaccine.

• Vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella are examples of Attenuated vaccines.

Read more about the Vaccine formed by the genetic engineering

• This vaccine has life long immunity and does not require any booster.

• Some vaccines are made from toxins. In this case Toxins are treated with aluminum to decrease the harmful effect.

• After treatment ,the toxin is called toxoid. Vaccine of diphtheria and tetanus are examples of toxoids.

• The vaccine of diphtheria and tetanus are given together hence these are called conjugated vaccines.

• Some vaccines are made up of microorganisms that are similar to disease causing organisms but they don't cause any harm.

• BCG vaccine against Mycobacterium tuberculosis is such a type of vaccine. These vaccines require boosters every three to four year.