Question

What are recombinant vaccines? Explain the types.

Accepted Answer

Vaccines which are produced by using recombinant DNA technology are known as recombinant vaccines. There are different types of recombinant vaccines: subunit recombinant vaccines, attenuated recombinant vaccines and DNA vaccines.

1. Subunit recombinant vaccines – Vaccines that use components of a pathogenic organism rather than the whole organism are called subunit vaccines. Recombinant DNA technology is used for developing new subunit vaccines. It includes components such as proteins, peptides and DNAs of pathogenic organisms. The advantages of these vaccines are their purity in preparation, stability and safe use.

2. Attenuated recombinant vaccines – This includes genetically modified pathogenic organisms that are made nonpathogenic and are used as vaccines. It is now possible to genetically engineer organisms such as bacteria or viruses and use them as live vaccines. Such vaccines are called as attenuated recombinant vaccines.

3. DNA Vaccines – The immunisation by using DNA vaccines is a novel approach that came into being in 1990 in which an immune response of the body is stimulated by a DNA molecule. A DNA vaccine consists of a gene coding an antigenic protein, inserted onto a plasmid, and then incorporated into the cells in a target animal. DNA instructs the cells to make antigenic molecules which are displayed on its surfaces which produces an antibody response by the cells. The DNA vaccine cannot cause the disease to the target animals because it contains only copies of a few of its genes.

What are recombinant vaccines? Explain the types.

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