Vaccination Flashcards

All 2 cards in this deck

What does a vaccine contain?

An inactive (dead or weakened) form of a pathogen, which still carries its antigens.

What are the steps by which vaccination protects against a disease?
e.g. the polio vaccine

1. The vaccine puts antigens from an inactive pathogen into the body — inactive polio virus.
2. Lymphocytes produce antibodies and memory lymphocytes.
3. If the live pathogen enters later, memory lymphocytes cause a secondary response, so the person is immune.