Defence against viruses - Different types of vaccines - Inactivated vaccines

4 important questions on Defence against viruses - Different types of vaccines - Inactivated vaccines

What are inactivated vaccines?

This is a vaccine that is unable to replicate but it retains immunogenicity of the pathogen or the toxin. (for example, the seasonal flu vaccine).

How is a pathogen inactivated for the inactivated vaccines?

The pathogen is inactivated by heat or formaldehyde because it can keep its structure this way.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of an inactivated vaccine?

The advantage is that is safer then attenuated vaccines, easy to store and transport but it is less effective than the attenuated vaccines and there are adjuvants or boosters necessary.
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Why is an adjuvant needed in inactivated vaccines?

This is needed because the antigens in those vaccines lack the MAMPS/PAMPS that function as a danger signal to activate dendritic cells to produce co-stimulatory molecules and thus set of an immune reaction. 

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