Question

Describe how our immune system responds to vaccination.

Please cite references (400 words, references are not included in word count)

Answer 1

How our immune system responds to vaccination ???

Vaccines can be live attenuated vaccines or killed / inactivated vaccines which acts as an antigen.

Following vaccination, vaccine antigens attract local and systemic dendritic cells, macrocytes and neutrophils.

Activation of these cells occur by changing their surface receptors.

These cells migrate along the lymphatic vessels to the draining lymph nodes.

This causes activation of B and T - lymphocytes.

B- lymphocytes differentiate into plasma cells and produce antibodies.

Also, there is generation of memory B cells. [memory cells remember the same pathogen for faster antibody production in future infections]

When the person is exposed to the disease causing organism in future, this causes reactivation of the memory B cells.

There is rapid production of antibodies and thus protection against that organism is attained.