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Active and Passive Immunity

Active immunity occurs when a person's own lymphocytes produce antibodies after being exposed to a pathogen, either through natural infection or vaccination. Passive immunity occurs when antibodies are introduced from an external source, such as antibodies from breast milk or injections. Vaccines work by exposing the immune system to a weakened or killed pathogen to produce antibodies and memory cells against that pathogen. However, vaccines may not always provide full protection due to factors like poor immune response, antigenic variation of pathogens, or pathogens hiding from the immune system. Smallpox was successfully eradicated through widespread vaccination, but other diseases have proven more difficult to eliminate globally with vaccines alone.

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170 views13 pages

Active and Passive Immunity

Active immunity occurs when a person's own lymphocytes produce antibodies after being exposed to a pathogen, either through natural infection or vaccination. Passive immunity occurs when antibodies are introduced from an external source, such as antibodies from breast milk or injections. Vaccines work by exposing the immune system to a weakened or killed pathogen to produce antibodies and memory cells against that pathogen. However, vaccines may not always provide full protection due to factors like poor immune response, antigenic variation of pathogens, or pathogens hiding from the immune system. Smallpox was successfully eradicated through widespread vaccination, but other diseases have proven more difficult to eliminate globally with vaccines alone.

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sha_man029
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Active and Passive immunity

&
Vaccination
Active immunity

• Active immunity occurs when the person's own lymphocytes make


the antibody
This could be natural, as a result of the person having previously had the
disease and forming B or T memory cells.

It could also be artificial, as a result of vaccination. This involves introducing


weakened pathogens into the body. The lymphocytes react to the antigens on
the pathogens by producing antibodies and memory cells.
Passive immunity

• Passive immunity occurs when antibodies from elsewhere are


introduced into the body.
In a young baby this can be natural, as the baby acquires antibodies from its
mother in breast milk

It can also be artificial, as the result of an injection of antibodies obtained


from another animal.
Passive immunity

• Colostrum is a thick yellowish fluid produced by a


mother’s breasts for the first few days after birth

• The antibody IgA which remain on the surface of


the gut wall while others pass into the blood
undigested

• IgA prevent the growth of bacteria and viruses


• Active immunity lasts much longer than passive immunity memory
cells last a long time

• Individual antibodies, from Injections of antibodies, do not last that


long

• Injected antibodies can confer instant immunity, for example when


someone is about to travel to an environment where risk of a disease
such as malaria is high
Vaccination
• A vaccine contains a killed or weakened part of a pathogen that is responsible for
infection

• Since, the pathogen has been killed or weakened before it is used to make the vaccine
and cannot make the person sick

• When a person is vaccinated, the body produces antibodies that destroy the pathogen

• Vaccines expose people safely to pathogen, so that they can become protected from a
disease but not come down with the disease
Problems with vaccines: Poor response

• People may respond poorly or not to vaccines

• They may have a defective immune system to produce B and T cell

• They may suffer from malnutrition e.g. lack of protein

• These people may be at higher risk of getting a disease


Problems with vaccines: Live virus and herd
immunity
• The virus may be passed out in their faeces during the primary
response and may infect others

• To prevent this, a large number of people need to be vaccinated to


give herd immunity.
Problems with vaccines: Antigenic variation

• The influenza virus mutates regularly to give different antigens


Minor changes in the antigen (Antigenic drift) - Memory cells may still
recognise them
Major changes in antigen (Antigenic shift) – Influenza viruses changes
considerably. Vaccination against previous strain is no longer

• Note: No effective vaccines in use against the diseases that are


caused by protoctists
Problems with vaccines: Antigenic
concealment
• Pathogens evades the immune system by living inside cells

• E.g. Plasmodium enters liver cells or red blood cells


It is protected against antibodies in the plasma

• Parasitic worms can conceal themselves by covering their bodies with proteins from the
host
They remain invisible to the immune system

• Other pathogens can suppress the immune system by parasitising cells such as
macrophages and T cells

• Effective vaccines can hardly be developed due to the small time frame before the
pathogens hides itself
Eradication of smallpox

• Smallpox has been successfully eradicated by vaccinating large numbers of


children

• This succeeded because the vaccine was highly effective

• The programme involved the vaccination of all relatives and contacts of


anyone who had the disease, called ring vaccination

• The virus did not mutate, so the same vaccine could be used everywhere.
Diseases that have not been successfully
eradicated
• Measles: Need of several successive doses of vaccine are required to
produce immunity

• Tuberculosis: BCG vaccine only gives only partial immunity. Some


strains are resistance to antibiotics

• Malaria: No effective vaccine developed yet. Eukaryotic organism are


not affected by antibodies produced by B or by T cells
Diseases that have not been successfully
eradicated
• Cholera: Vibrio cholerae lives and reproduces in the intestine, which
is outside the body tissues and not easily reachable by lymphocytes
or antibodies. Oral vaccines are being developed, which are proving
more effective.

• Vaccines are also completely ineffective against any diseases that are
not caused by pathogens, such as sickle cell anaemia

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