Medical Virology

Lecture :- 9

Vaccines and Antiviral

drugs
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Prof. Dalia M.
Mohsen

VACCINES

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

WHAT IS A VACCINE?
A vaccine is any preparation used as a
preventive inoculation to confer immunity
against a specific disease, usually using a
harmless form of the disease agent, such as
killed or weakened bacteria or viruses. The
purpose of which is

to stimulate antibody

production.
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

SOME BASICS
Most

often

the

terms

vaccination

and

immunization

are

used

interchangeably but their meanings are not exactly the same.

Avaccineis a product that produces immunity from a disease and

can be administered through needle injection by mouth, or by
aerosol.

Vaccinationis when a vaccine is administered to a person (usually

by injection).

Immunization is what happens in ones body after they have

been

vaccinated. The vaccine stimulates ones immune

system so that it can recognize the disease and offer

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

protection from future infection.

MECHANISM OF ACTION
Vaccines Produce:

Humoral immunity (B cell response) i.e. most bacterial

vaccines

OR

Cell-mediated immunity (T cell response) i.e. live vaccines

such as MMR and BCG
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Humoral Immunity

primarily
produces
antibodies in the blood
circulation as a sensing
or recognizing function of
the immune system to
the presence of foreign
antigens in the body.

Cell Mediated Immunity

primarily destroys, digests and
expels foreign antigens out of the
body through the activity of its cells
found
in
the
thymus,
tonsils,
adenoids, spleen, lymph nodes and
lymph system throughout the body.
(acute inflammatory response)
and is often accompanied by the
classic signs of inflammation: fever,
pain, malaise and discharge of mucus,
pus, skin rash or diarrhea.

41
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

VACCINES PRODUCING HUMORAL

IMMUNITY

B cells are a type of lymphocyte (white blood

cells) capable

of producing antibodies.

B cells with the right receptor shape recognise a

vaccine antigen and bind to it
The B cells are activated to produce a clone of
antibodies with the same specificity
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

VACCINES PRODUCING HUMORAL

IMMUNITY
The B cells mature and become plasma cells

(capable

of

excreting

2000

molecules

antibody/second) and memory cells

If the memory cells encounter the antigen again

they will change into plasma cells and produce large

numbers of specific antibodies
The size, specificity and speed of the response will

increase with repeated exposure

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

HELP FROM T CELLS IN THE HUMORAL

RESPONSE

A certain type of T cell (helper or CD4 cell) can

help B cells differentiate into clones. (Where this
is an essential element for a particular vaccine
this is termed a T cell dependent response)

46
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

DIFFERENT TYPES OF
VACCINES
1-Live, Attenuated Vaccines
Attenuated vaccines can be made in several different ways.
Some of the most common methods involve
Passing the disease-causing virus through a series of cell
cultures or animal embryos (typically chick embryos). The virus
is grown in different embryos in a series. With each passage,
the virus becomes better at replicating in chick cells, but loses
its ability to replicate in human cells. When the resulting
vaccine virus is given to a human, it will be unable to replicate
enough to cause illness, but will still provoke an immune
response that can protect against future infection.

Examples: Measles, mumps,

Influenza and Rotavirus
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

(chickenpox),
48

VACCINE types
type

Vaccines of this type ,

Recommended Childhood
(ages 0-6) Immunization
Schedule

Live, attenuated

Measles, mumps, rubella (MMR

combined vaccine)
Varicella (chickenpox)
Influenza (nasal spray)
Rotavirus

Inactivated/Killed

Polio (IPV)
Hepatitis A

Toxoid (inactivated
toxin)

Diphtheria, tetanus (part of DTaP

combined immunization)

Vaccine

Hepatitis B
Influenza (injection)
Haemophilus influenzatype b (Hib)
Pertussis (part of DTaP combined
immunization)
Pneumococcal
Subunit/conjugate
Meningococcal
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

VACCINES
Vaccine type

Other available vaccines

Live,
attenuated

Zoster (shingles)
Yellow fever

Inactivated/Kill
ed
Rabies

Subunit/conjug
ate
Human papillomavirus (HPV)

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Killed or Inactivated
Vaccines

Vaccines of this type are created by inactivating a

pathogen, typically using heat or chemicals such as
formaldehyde

or

formalin.

This

destroys

the

pathogens ability to replicate, but keeps it intact so

that the immune system can still recognize it.
Examples: Polio (IPV), Hepatitis A
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Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Subunit and Conjugate

Vaccines
Both subunit and conjugate
vaccines contain only pieces
of

the

pathogens

they

protect against.
1-Subunit vaccines use only part
of a target pathogen to provoke
a response from the immune
system.

2-Another

type

of

subunit vaccine can be created

via genetic engineering.
Examples: influenza vaccine.
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

52

ANTIVIRAL DRUGS

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

ANTIVIRAL DRUGS
Vaccines have provided considerable success in
preventing viral disease.
But, they have modest or often no therapeutic
effect for individuals who already are infected.
Consequently, our second arm of antiviral defense
has been the development and use of antiviral
drugs.
They can
started.

stop

an

infection

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

once

it

has

WHY WE HAVE SO FEW ANTIVIRAL

DRUGS?

1. Compounds

interfering

with

virus

growth can adversely affect the host

cell.(Side effects are commonand
Every

step

in

viral

life

engages host functions)

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

cycle

2. Many medically important viruses are dangerous, can't

be tested in model systems, or can't be propagated.
. Difficult or impossible to grow in the laboratory
(hepatitis B and C, papilloma viruses)
. Have no available animal model of human disease
(smallpox virus, HIV ,measles virus)
. Will kill investigators who aren't careful (Ebola virus ,
Lassa fever virus ,Small pox virus)

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

3. Antiviral drug must block

viral replication completely.
. Partial inhibition is not
acceptable for an antiviral
drug. If a drug does not
block
virus
replication
completely,
resistant
viruses will emerge.

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

4. Antiviral
drug
discovery
consuming and expensive.

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

is

time

ALPHA-INTERFERON
Cells

that

have

been

infected

with

virusproduceinterferon, which sends a

signal to other cells of the body to resist
viral growth.
Alpha

interferonis

produced

by

white

blood cells other than lymphocytes.

All interferons inhibit viral replication.
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

15

AMANTADINE

The mechanism of Amantadine's antiviral activity

involves interference with a viral proteinM2(anion
channel),which is required for the viral particle to
become "uncoated" once taken inside a cell
byendocytosis. Influenza B does not possess M2
channels, and thus the drug is ineffective towards all
Influenza B strains.
Amantadine has been associated with severalcentral
nervous system side effects.CNS side effects include
nervousness, anxiety.
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

ACYCLOVIR
It is used for the treatment ofherpes
simplex virusinfections, as well as in the
treatment

ofvaricella

zoster

(chickenpox)
Inhibits

and

polymerasesand

inactivatesDNA
inhibit

synthesis.
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

nucleic

acid

ANTIVIRAL THERAPY
FOR FLU

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

INFLUENZA B STRAIN
STRUCTURE

Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

HIGH RISK GROUP

< 2 years
>65 years
Pregnant
women
Chronic
diseases
Severe
diseases
Hospitalized
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen

Thank you
Prof. Dalia M. Mohsen