Skip to content

#inactivated

2 public questions tagged with this topic.

Inactivated vaccines usually require:

Inactivated vaccines usually require multiple doses and periodic boosters to achieve and sustain protective immunity because non replicating antigen provides transient immune stimulation. Initial dose primes naive B cells in draining lymph nodes producing low affinity IgM and modest IgG, small memory pool, titer often below correlate of protection threshold. Second dose administered 4-8 weeks later triggers anamnestic response with larger germinal center reaction, extensive somatic hypermutation in dark zone mediated by activation induced cytidine deaminase, affinity maturation, isotype class

Ref: Plotkin Why inactivated needs multiple doses; WHO Immunization schedule; Amanna Duration.

Inactivated vaccines differ from live vaccines because they:

Inactivated vaccines fundamentally differ from live attenuated vaccines because they cannot replicate within host tissues. Inactivation achieved by chemical agents formaldehyde crosslinking proteins, beta-propiolactone alkylating nucleic acids, heat denaturation destroying polymerase enzymes, while preserving epitopes for antibody recognition. Because genome destroyed, no progeny virions produced, infection cycle aborted, inability to cause disease even if host immunocompromised. Immunologically absence of cytosolic replication reduces engagement of RIG-I, MDA5 cytosolic sensors sensing replic

Ref: Baxter J Clin Virol 2007 Inactivated cannot replicate; Plotkin Inactivated vs Live difference; CDC.