VACCINE
AND
SERA
INTRODUCTION
Substances, which provide immunity either actively or passively called
immunizing agents.
They can classified as vaccines, immunoglobulin and antisera. Immunity can
be Active or Passive.
Active Immunity
It occurs when the natural immune system of the body develops immunity on
exposure to an antigen. Vaccines are used for active immunization. Vaccines
are suspensions of specific antigens.
1. Live attenuated: These vaccines use a weakened (attenuated) form of the
pathogen that is still alive but has been altered so that it cannot cause disease
in healthy individuals. Two live vaccine must be administered after a gap of
4 weeks.
Example: Bacille Calmettee Guerin, Oral Polio Vaccine, Measles,
mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, varicella (chickenpox) vaccine.
Cont...
2. Inactivated (Killed) Vaccines: These vaccines contain pathogens that have
been killed or inactivated so they cannot cause disease. The inactivation process
preserves the antigens necessary to stimulate the immune response.
Example: Polio (IPV) vaccine, Hepatitis A vaccine.
3. Subunit, Recombinant, Polysaccharide, and Conjugate Vaccines:
These vaccines use specific pieces of the pathogen (such as protein, sugar, or
capsid) to elicit an immune response. Because these vaccines contain only parts
of the pathogen, they have a lower risk of causing adverse reactions.
Example: Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, hepatitis B vaccine,
pneumococcal conjugate vaccine.
Cont...
4. Toxoids: A toxoid vaccine is a type of vaccine that uses a toxin (produced by
the pathogen) that has been inactivated or weakened, so it can no longer cause
disease. These vaccines target toxins produced by certain bacteria rather than the
bacteria themselves.
Example: Tetanus toxoid, Diptheria Toxoid.
SERA
Sera (plural of serum) refers to a preparation containing preformed
antibodies obtained from humans or animals that provide passive immunity
against a disease.
Key Features:
• Contains ready-made antibodies against a specific pathogen or toxin.
• Provides immediate but short-term protection (no memory cell formation).
• Used when immediate immunity is required, such as in snake bites, rabies, or
tetanus exposure.
Polysaccharide Vaccines
"Polysaccharides" refers to a type of vaccine component derived from
bacterial sugar molecules. Polysaccharide-based vaccines protect against
bacterial infections by stimulating the immune system to recognize the
capsular polysaccharide (a protective sugar coating around bacteria).
Types of Polysaccharide Vaccines:
Pure Polysaccharide Vaccines:
Composed of long chains of sugar molecules from the bacterial capsule.
Do not work well in children under 2 years old.
Provide short-term immunity and may require booster doses.
Cont...
Conjugate Polysaccharide Vaccines
Polysaccharides are chemically linked (conjugated) to a protein carrier,
making them more effective in children and providing long-term immunity.
Example: Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib) Vaccine.
Passive Immunization
Passive immunization is the administration of antibodies or serum containing
antibodies to provide immunity against specific organisms. Newborn received
natural passive immunity from the maternal antibodies that transferred
transplacentally.
Passive immunization provides gamma globulin, tetanus Ig, Rabies Ig, Anti-
Diptheria Ig and Hepatitis B Ig. Antisera like tetanus antitoxine, gas gangreen
antitoxine, diptheria and antirabies serum are obtained from sera of horses, which
actively immunized against the specific organism. Allergic reactions including
serum sickness and anaphylaxis can occur with antiseras, white it uncommon with
Ig.
Passive Immunization
Passive immunization involves the administration of pre-formed antibodies to
an individual. Unlike active immunization, which relies on the body's immune
system to produce its own antibodies, passive immunization provides
immediate, but temporary, protection by directly supplying the antibodies
needed to fight off a specific pathogen or toxin.
Commonly Used Vaccines
Type of Initial Booster
Vaccine Route Indication
Agents Dose Dose
BCG Live In all
ID/SC At Birth 7-14 Years
attenuated children
Typhoid
(Typhoral) Above 6 year at
Risk
Oral any age: 3 doess
Live exposure to
(capsul on alternate days Every 3 year
attenuated typhoid
e) 1 hour before
fever
food.
Poliomyelitis Live At Birth, 6, 10, 18 months, All children
(OPV) Oral
attenuated 14 Weeks 4-6 year
Type of Initial Booster
Vaccine Route Indication
Agents Dose Dose
MMR Live Virus SC 9-12 months 11-12 Years In all children
Varicella All children from 18
Live Virus SC 12-18 months -
months to 13 years.
Yellow Travelers to areas
Fever Every 10 where yellow fever is
Live Virus SC 9-12 months
year seen, Lab personnel at
risk of exposure
Cholera Inactivated SC Adults: 2 Every People living in endemic
IM doses 1 month 6months areas
Apart endemic areas
Pertusis Inactivated IM 6, 10, 14 18 months and All children
Weeks 4-6 Year
Vaccine Type of Agents Rout Initial Booster Indication
e Dose Dose
Plague Inactivated IM 1 dose - All children
Hepatitis Inactivated IM 1 dose After 6-12 Travelers to endemic
A Virus (2-4 Week) months areas, homosexual,
occupational
Hepatitis Inactive Viral IM At birth, 1 After 5 All children,
B month, 6-18 years occupational risk, post
month exposure prophylaxis.
Influenza Inactivated
IM One Dose Yearly Elderly, Asthmatics
Virus
Rabies Pre-exposure:
0,7,21 Days After 1 Person are risk for
Inactivated IM
Post-Exposure: year then contact with rabies
Virus ID
0,3,7,14,30,90 at 2-5 year virus.
Days
Type of Initial Booster
Vaccine Route Indication
Agents Dose Dose
Typhoid/ After 3 years at
Paratyphoid any age. 2 Every 3 Risk of exposure to
Inactivated SC
doses 4 week year typhoid fever.
apart
JE 16-24
Killed IM 9-12 months Population at risk.
months
Diptheria 18
Toxoid IM 6,10, 14 Weeks month, For all children
4-6 year
Tetanus 18
Toxoid IM 6,10, 14 Weeks month, For all children
4-6 year
Initial
Vaccine Type of Agents Route Booster Dose Indication
Dose
Meningococc Bacteria Epidemic
al Vaccine polysaccharides SC One dose -
areas
Pneumococc Every 3-5 Travelers in
Bacteria
al Vaccine years if there epidemic
polysaccharides SC One dose
is high risk of areas, close
exposure contact
Haemophilus Polysaccharides
One dose For all
Influenzae IM -
children
(Type- B)
Commonly Used Immunoglobulins and Sera
Preparation with Dose Dose and Route Indications
Diptheria antitoxin (Horse) IV/IM Diptheria clinical diptheria-
20,000-120,000 units to given immdediately.
Tetanus immunoglobulin IM Tetanus. Treatment and post
(Human) Prophylaxis: 2500 exposure prophylaxis of
[Link]: 3000- unclean wounds in
6000 IU adequately immunized
person.
Tetanus antitoxin [Anti IM/SC Tetanus. Treatment and post
tetanus serum (ATS) Prophylaxis: 1500- exposure prophylaxis of
horse] {if Tetanus ig not 3000 IU unclean wounds in
available} Treatment: 50,000- adequately immunized
100,000 IU person.
Commonly Used Immunoglobulins and Sera
Preparation with
Dose and Route Indications
Dose
Rabies 20 IU/kg; half the Rabies. Postexposure
immunoglobulin doseinfiltrated around the prophylaxis combined with
(human) wound, remaining IM rabies vaccine.
Botulinum IM/IV 10,000 IU Treatment and post exposure
Antitoxin prophylaxis botulism
Antirabies Serum IM 40 IU/Kg Used if rabies IG not
(ARS) (Horse) available.
Gas gangrene IM/SC/IV Post exposure prophylaxis
antitoxin (AGS) Prophylaxis: 10,000 units. and Treatment.
(Horse) Treatment: 30,000- 75,000 IU
Commonly Used Immunoglobulins and Sera
Preparation with
Dose and Route Indications
Dose
Hep-B IM 0.06ml/Kg Post exposure prophylaxis
Ig (HBIG) in nonimmune persons.
Antisnake venom IV 20-30 ml to be given within Snake bite: Cobra, vipers,
polyvalent (Horse) 4 hour after the bite. krait.
Human gamma Gamma globulin deficiency,
globulin prophylaxis of Hep-A,
measles, mumps, rubella.
Anti-Rh D Ig Less than 12 Weeks: 50μg/IM. Rh negative mother after
More than 12 Weeks: birth of Rh +ve baby or after
300μg/IM. uncompleted pregnancy
Postpartum period:300μg/IM. with Rh-positive fetus.
