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Ch. 14 - Biomedical Applications: Vaccines, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Molecular Method
Norman-McKay- Microbiology: Basic and Clinical Principles 2nd Edition
Norman-McKay2nd EditionMicrobiology: Basic and Clinical PrinciplesISBN: 9780137661619Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksNorman-McKay 2nd EditionCh. 14 - Biomedical Applications: Vaccines, Diagnostics, Therapeutics, and Molecular MethodProblem 2
Chapter 14, Problem 2

Which of the following vaccines is most likely to be contraindicated for an immune compromised patient?
a. An mRNA vaccine
b. A whole inactivated vaccine
c. A toxoid vaccine
d. A conjugate vaccine
e. A live attenuated vaccine

Verified step by step guidance
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Step 1: Understand the types of vaccines listed and their general characteristics. An mRNA vaccine uses messenger RNA to instruct cells to produce an antigen, a whole inactivated vaccine contains killed pathogens, a toxoid vaccine contains inactivated toxins, a conjugate vaccine links polysaccharides to proteins to enhance immune response, and a live attenuated vaccine contains weakened but live pathogens.
Step 2: Recall that immune compromised patients have weakened immune systems, making them more vulnerable to infections and less able to handle live pathogens, even if attenuated.
Step 3: Identify which vaccine type contains live organisms. Among the options, the live attenuated vaccine contains live but weakened pathogens that can potentially cause disease in immune compromised individuals.
Step 4: Recognize that vaccines like mRNA, whole inactivated, toxoid, and conjugate vaccines do not contain live organisms and are generally safer for immune compromised patients.
Step 5: Conclude that the vaccine most likely contraindicated for immune compromised patients is the live attenuated vaccine due to the risk of causing infection.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Types of Vaccines

Vaccines can be classified based on their composition and mechanism, including live attenuated, inactivated, toxoid, conjugate, and mRNA vaccines. Each type stimulates the immune system differently, influencing their safety and efficacy profiles, especially in vulnerable populations.
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Live Attenuated Vaccines and Immunocompromised Patients

Live attenuated vaccines contain weakened but live pathogens that can replicate in the host. While effective in healthy individuals, they pose a risk to immunocompromised patients because the weakened pathogen may cause disease due to the patient’s reduced immune defense.
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Contraindications in Immunocompromised Individuals

Contraindications are conditions or factors that make a particular treatment unsafe. In immunocompromised patients, vaccines that contain live organisms are generally contraindicated to avoid potential infection, whereas inactivated or subunit vaccines are considered safer alternatives.
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Textbook Question

How does an antibody neutralize a virus?

a. By preventing the virus from binding to a receptor protein on a host cell

b. By preventing the virus from injecting its nucleic acid into its host cell

c. By degrading the capsid

d. By inserting holes into the viral envelope

e. By preventing the virus from replicating while inside the host

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Textbook Question

If parents in the United States decline or delay vaccinations for their children because they fear the refuted claim of a link between vaccinations and autism, which of the following is a possible result?

a. A decrease in diagnosis of autism with a decrease of vaccinations

b. An increase in diagnosis of autism with an increase of vaccinations

c. An increase in the administration of subunit vaccines

d. A decrease in herd immunity

e. An increase in public demand for inactivated vaccines

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Textbook Question

The human papillomavirus vaccine consists of surface proteins engineered from various HPV strains. How would you classify this vaccine?

a. Whole inactivated vaccine

b. Whole live attenuated vaccine

c. Recombinant subunit vaccine

d. mRNA vaccine

e. Vector vaccine

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Textbook Question

A direct ELISA test is utilized as a pregnancy test because it tests for:

a. Antibodies to the fetus in urine

b. Antibodies to a pregnancy hormone in urine

c. An antigen that recognizes a pregnancy hormone in urine

d. T cells that recognize a pregnancy hormone in urine

e. The presence of a pregnancy hormone in urine

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