Table of Contents
How does a person become immune to a pathogen?
Immunity to a disease is achieved through the presence of antibodies to that disease in a person’s system. Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to neutralize or destroy toxins or disease-carrying organisms. Antibodies are disease-specific.
What is an inactive form of a pathogen?
Vaccination involves putting a small amount of an inactive form of a pathogen into the body. Vaccines can contain: live pathogens treated to make them harmless.
How does a vaccine promote immunity?
Vaccines help develop immunity by imitating an infection. This type of infection, however, almost never causes illness, but it does cause the immune system to produce T-lymphocytes and antibodies. Sometimes, after getting a vaccine, the imitation infection can cause minor symptoms, such as fever.
How is a virus inactivated?
Viruses or bacteria are inactivated or killed by chemicals, such as formalin or formaldehyde, and Beta propiolactone (BPL), etc. In some cases, bacteria may instead be inactivated with heat or radiation. These inactivated viruses or bacteria are then reproduced in large quantities and prepared for use as a vaccine.
How is the adaptive immune system activated?
Unlike the innate immune system, which attacks only based on the identification of general threats, the adaptive immunity is activated by exposure to pathogens, and uses an immunological memory to learn about the threat and enhance the immune response accordingly.
What factors influence the effectiveness of a person’s response to vaccines?
Further, environmental factors (such as geographic location, season, family size, and toxins), behavioral factors (such as smoking, alcohol consumption, exercise, and sleep), and nutritional factors (such as body mass index, micronutrients, and enteropathy) also influence how individuals respond to vaccines.