What would be a primary advantage of using an attenuated agent rather than just a subunit of that agent for a vaccine?
A) An attenuated agent strongly stimulates both the humoral AND cell-mediated adaptive immune response, giving the best comprehensive long-term protection available.
B) There is no advantage. It's much more dangerous to use an attenuated agent over a subunit vaccine due to the possibility of reversion of the microbe to a pathogenic state.
C) An attenuated agent strongly stimulates ONLY the antibody production (humoral response) of the adaptive immune system. This provides the best and strongest long-term protection.
D) An attenuated agent strongly stimulates ONLY the cytotoxic T cell (CTL, cell-mediated) side of the adaptive immune system. This provides the best and strongest long-term protection.
E) There is no advantage. If a subunit is used from that agent, all the T cells that are activated will make antibodies against that single antigen, causing a very strong response.

Question

What would be a primary advantage of using an attenuated agent rather than just a subunit of that agent for a vaccine?
A) An attenuated agent strongly stimulates both the humoral AND cell-mediated adaptive immune response, giving the best comprehensive long-term protection available.
B) There is no advantage. It's much more dangerous to use an attenuated agent over a subunit vaccine due to the possibility of reversion of the microbe to a pathogenic state.
C) An attenuated agent strongly stimulates ONLY the antibody production (humoral response) of the adaptive immune system. This provides the best and strongest long-term protection.
D) An attenuated agent strongly stimulates ONLY the cytotoxic T cell (CTL, cell-mediated) side of the adaptive immune system. This provides the best and strongest long-term protection.
E) There is no advantage. If a subunit is used from that agent, all the T cells that are activated will make antibodies against that single antigen, causing a very strong response.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

An attenuated agent is a weakened form of the pathogen that can still replicate but is unable to cause disease. This allows the immune system to mount a comprehensive response, including both humoral and cell-mediated immunity. Subunit vaccines, on the other hand, only contain a specific antigen from the pathogen and may not stimulate both arms of the immune system as effectively. Additionally, attenuated vaccines often provide longer-lasting immunity compared to subunit vaccines. While reversion to a virulent form is a potential risk with attenuated vaccines, this risk is outweighed by the benefits.

What Would Be a Primary Advantage of Using an Attenuated