First Generartion Vaccines

Viral Vaccines/Bacterial Vaccines/First Generartion Vaccines

Viral Vaccines/Bacterial Vaccines/First Generartion Vaccines

Viral vaccines consist either of inactivated or killed viruses (i.e. the viruses incapable of multiplying in the body) or attenuated viruses (i.e. live but multiplying at low rates in the body without causing disease symptoms, or causing reduced amount of disease). The Salk polio vaccine is an example of the former, while the Sabin oral polio vaccine that of the latter type.

Bacterial vaccines are also of similar, categories: the whooping cough vaccine having dead cells whereas the tuberculosis vaccine has live, attenuated bacteria. Whole microorganism, viral and bacterial, vaccines are commonly called first generation vaccines.

Attenuated organisms provide a higher level of immune response than that obtained by single dose of inactivated organisms. This is due to the reason that attenuated organisms multiply in the body for sometime thus increasing the dose of antigen. This is an advantage of vaccines made with attenuated organisms. But, attenuated organisms may cause health hazard due to this ability of multiplication.

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