Vaccinations and Immune Response

Flashcards covering key vocabulary and concepts related to vaccinations and the immune response, including definitions and historical context.

Vaccination

The process of generating an artificially acquired active immunity to an immunizing agent.

Immunization

The process by which a person is made immune or resistant to an infectious disease through vaccination.

Passive vaccination

Receiving ready-made antibodies to provide immediate protection.

Live attenuated vaccines

Vaccines containing live but weakened forms of pathogens that can replicate but are not virulent.

Killed vaccines

Vaccines made from killed or inactivated pathogens that cannot replicate.

Subunit vaccines

Vaccines that contain only parts of a microorganism that best stimulate an immunogenic response.

Toxoids

Modified, inactivated toxins from pathogens that stimulate an immune response without causing disease.

Conjugated vaccines

Vaccines that link polysaccharides from the pathogen to a protein to enhance immune response.

Nucleic acid vaccines

Vaccines that use DNA or mRNA to instruct cells to produce proteins that stimulate an immune response.

mRNA vaccines

Vaccines that use messenger RNA to carry genetic instructions for cells to produce a harmless piece of a virus.

Viral vector vaccines

Vaccines that use a harmless virus to deliver genetic material that instructs cells to produce a viral protein.

AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

A viral vector vaccine that uses a modified adenovirus to deliver the SARS-CoV-2 antigen.

Booster shots

Additional doses of a vaccine given after the initial series to enhance or restore protection.