What is the purpose of conjugate vaccines?

Conjugate vaccines have been developed to induce a robust immune response against bacterial capsular polysaccharides (CPSs). CPSs are long polymers composed of many repeating units of simple sugars and serve as a protective external layer for many bacteria.

Which vaccines is a conjugate vaccine?

Conjugate vaccines used in the UK schedule: Hib vaccine (in the 6-in-1 vaccine and Hib/MenC vaccine), which contains a polysaccharide joined to tetanus toxoid. MenC vaccine (in the Hib/MenC vaccine), which contains a polysaccharide joined to tetanus toxoid.

What is the advantage of conjugated vaccines?

Further advantages of the conjugate vaccines are their ability to elicit immunologic memory and to reduce asymptomatic carriage of the bacteria, resulting in marked herd immunity.

How does a conjugate vaccine work?

Conjugate vaccines fight a different type of bacteria. These bacteria have antigens with an outer coating of sugar-like substances called polysaccharides. This type of coating disguises the antigen, making it hard for a young child’s immature immune system to recognize it and respond to it.

Why are conjugate vaccines important to newborns?

The conjugate vaccines are immunogenic for infants as young as 2 months of age, induce B-lymphocyte memory cells resulting in an anamnestic response with subsequent doses, and reduce carriage of vaccine serotypes.

What is the difference between polysaccharide and conjugate vaccines?

In the polysaccharide vaccine, only the sugar part of the bacteria, the capsule, is included as the antigen to stimulate the immune response. “In the conjugate vaccine, it’s actually the sugar joined to the carrier protein,” says Associate Professor Kristine Macartney.

What is the difference between conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines?

How are conjugate vaccines produced?

The conventional process to produce conjugate vaccines involves chemical conjugation of carrier proteins with polysaccharide antigens purified from large-scale cultures of pathogenic bacteria.

Is a conjugate vaccine a live vaccine?

Live-attenuated vaccines. Messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines. Subunit, recombinant, polysaccharide, and conjugate vaccines.

What is conjugate vaccine Upsc?

Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine is a shot given to children and adults to prevent pneumococcal diseases. The vaccine helps in improving antibody response. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends this conjugate vaccine to children for regular immunisation.

Why is Hib vaccine conjugate?

Haemophilus b conjugate vaccine (tetanus toxoid conjugate) is an active immunizing agent that is used to prevent infection caused by the Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) bacteria. The vaccine works by causing your body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against the disease.