micro 17--Applications of Immune Responses

herd immunity

when enough people are immune to a disease to make the infection hard to spread to those who aren’t immune

attenuated vaccines

still alive and use the weakened form of the microbes
can mutate to a potent form or a disease causing form

ex. sabin polio, yellow fever, MMR, some flu

inactivated vaccines

made of killed cells or parts of cells

whole agents

inactivated vaccine

contains whole bacteria or viruses that cant reproduce but do stimulate the immune system

toxoid

inactivated vaccine

made of inactivated toxins, stimulates the immune system to fight against toxin

subunit

inactivated vaccine

made of parts of the microbe

adjuvant

inactivated vaccine

substance that enhances the immune response because some microbes/antigens are too weak on their own

mRNA vaccines

a microbes mRNA surrounded by a lipid

causes the body’s cell to make the microb’s proteins which then stimulate the immune system

viral vector vaccines

modified virus that either isnt very pathogenic or has been inactivated and then have genes for the pathogen to be inserted

serum

plasma without the clotting factors

contains all the antibodies and nutrients

titer

the dilution at which the smallest amount of detectable antibodies exist

seroconversion

a change in the antibody titer

direct fluorescent antibody test

apply antibodies contains a fluorescent dye to the microbe

indirect fluoresence

the microbe is added to a slide, then the patient’s serum is added

antihuman antibodies with a fluorescent dye attached

ELISA—Enzyme link immunoassay

microbe is added to a surface and the human serum is added

then add anti-human antibodies with an enzyme attached

then add a substrate that changes color, measure the color change in a spectrophotometer

spectrophotometer

measures color change in ELISA

electrophoresis

take samples of serum into gel, proteins band out in certain areas of the gel

good for paternity testing

direct agglutination

western blocking

take the serum and put it through gel electrophoresis, add human antigens with the dye attached

complement fixation

the patients blood and microbe and complement is added, then they add sheep red blood cells

no antibodies: light pink liquid, complement breaks down RBCs, releasing hemoglobin
have antibodies: the RBCs fall to the bottom, antibodies bind to microbe and complement

neutralization test

the microbe and patient’s serum added to cells being grown in the culture

if the cells live, the cells contains the antibodies
if the cells die, they do not contain the antibodies