Unit 22 - Diagnosing Infectious Diseases

What is vaccination?

A major strategy for preventing infectious disease

Steps to vaccination (3)

Antigen —> Immune Response —> Pathogen Removal

What is a vaccine

Immunogen solution containing antigen

What are the three strategies of vaccines?

• Whole-Pathogen

• Subunit/Antigen-Based

• Genetic/Molecular

What are the whole cell strategies (2)

• Live-Attenuated Vaccines

• Inactivated Vaccines

What are Live-Attenuated vaccines?

Weakened form of the germ that provide strong, long-lasting immunity

What are inactivated vaccines?

Pathogens that are killed or inactivated through heat or chemicals. Weaker response than live vaccines, required boosters

What is the subunit/antigen-based strategy in vaccination

Specific fragments are used to trigger an immune response

What do toxoid vaccines target?

The toxins produced by bacteria instead of the bacteria

What is the genetic/molecular strategy?

Provide the body with instructions on how to produce the antigen

What is a conjugate vaccine

Protein with molecule of interest attached

What is an mRNA vaccine?

Encodes antigen, there is no risk of infection

What is clinical micorbiology

Microbiology field to focus on diagnosing infectious diseases

What is nosocomial infections?

Healthcare associated infections

How many nosocomial infections annually are reported by the CDC?

2 million

What percentage of patients get nosocomial infections?

10%

What is serology?

Study of antigen-antibody reactions

What is covalescence?

Recovery from infection

What does E.L.I.S.A. stand for?

Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

What does ELISA do?

Detect specific antigen or antibody

What are the three ELISA designs

• Direct

• Indirect

• Sandwich

What is the direct ELISA design?

Detect specific antigen

What is the indirect ELISA design?

Detect antibody against an antigen

What is the sandwich ELISA design?

Alternative to indirect

What does reverse transcriptase do?

Synthesizes DNA from RNA

Advances in immunological and molecular biological tools improve what?

The ability to diagnose infectious diseases