Virology Exam 3 vaccinations and antivirals

what are the basic principles of the adaptive immune system

there are 2 crucial cell types for adaptive immunity; B and T cells generated by hematopoiesis. It is also important for memory cells for the basis of long term immunity

what to T cells do

target and kill specific pathogens

what to B cells do

responsible for humoral immunity and they make and secrete antibodies

what is the connection between adaptive immunity system and vaccination

vaccinations train the adaptive immune system to recognize and fight specific pathogens before the body encounters the actual disease; cellular and humoral immunity are important in the function of vaccines.

what does a vaccine do to the body

introduces a form of the pathogen into the body to serve as an antigen to stimulate the immune system. antigens have epitopes; regions on their surface that T/B cell receptors or antibodies interact with

what is the most abundant and multifunctional antibody

IgG

how does inactivated vaccines work

viruses that have been killed meaning they can’t replicate or cause disease, these stimulate the immune system to recognize the virus by presenting it in a dead form and multiple doses are needed

how does live attenuated vaccines work

weakened forms of the birus that are still alive but do not cause illness in healthy individuals, instead they mimic natural infection and can give strong and long lasting immunity with fewer doses

how does viral vectored vaccines work

use a vector to carry genetic instructions for making a part of the target virus, allowing the body’s cells to read the genetic material and make the viral protein to train the immune system to recognize and respond to the real virus

how does mRNA vaccines work

a synthetic messenger RNA instructs the cells to produce a viral protein allowing the immune system to see the foreign protein and mount a response and mRNA never enters the cell’s nucleus or alter DNA.

what is the clinical trial process for vaccine development

1) small number of patients 2) larger groups of patients and tests some immune response parameters 3) largest group

how is safety and efficacy assessed in the clinical trial process for vaccine development

researchers look at adverse event reporting, lab results, physical exams, immunogenicity, and statistical significance

what is a prospective study

follows participants forward in time from the point of enrollment

what is a retrospective study

looks back in time using existing records or patient data to study expoures and outcomes

what is a cross-sectional study

starts with cases and compares them to controls, looking back to access prior exposures

what are some common principles behind how antiviral drugs work

antivirals use host cell machinery for almost all functions which limits drugability, they target specific stages of the viral life cycle to prevent replication and spread of the virus

what is the role of HAART in the control of the HIV/AIDS pandemic

it represses viral load by preventing transmission and allows for maintenance of increased CD4 counts as well as delays/prevents progression of AIDS and death; it protects the virus from damaging the immune system

how is moderate to severe covid-19 being treated

its treated with a combo of antiviral meds, immunomodulators (dexmethasone to reduce production of cytokines), respiratory support (oxygen therapy and ventilation), and supportive care (fluids and fever control to treat secondary infections).

what is the difference between using paxlovid and remdesivir to treat covid

remdesivir is used to treat more severe cases of covid and is IV infused in a hospital while paxlovid is an oral pill for less severe cases of covid.