Tag: vaccines

An attenuated vaccine is a vaccine created by reducing the virulence of a pathogen, but still keeping it viable (live). Attenuation takes an infectious agent and alters it so that it becomes harmless or less virulent. The technique of preparing vaccine from attenuated pathogen was first discovered by Louis Pasteur in 1879 against anthrax and rabies.

• Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) demonstrated that microorganisms cause both fermentation and disease, which support the germ theory of disease. He developed the earliest vaccines against anthrax.

• Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material (a vaccine) to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen.
•  It is the most effective method of preventing infectious diseases, widespread immunity due to vaccination is largely responsible for the worldwide eradication of smallpox and the elimination of diseases such as polio, measles, and tetanus from much of the world.
•  Edward Jenner discovered the process of vaccination in 1796 by introducing material from cowpox vesicle.
  

• A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as a threat, destroy it, and to further recognize and destroy any of the microorganisms associated with that agent that it may encounter in the future.
  
• The terms vaccine and vaccination are derived from smallpox of a cow were introduced by Edward Jenner.
  

The polio vaccine was developed in 1955 by Dr. Jonas Salk and thus called the “Salk vaccine”. It is the inactivated or killed vaccine that was given by intramuscular injection but now it is given orally. The inactivated polio vaccine produces antibodies in the blood to all three types of poliovirus. In the event of infection, these antibodies prevent the spread of the virus to the central nervous system and protect against paralysis. 

• Smallpox vaccine, the first successful vaccine to be developed, was introduced by Edward Jenner in 1796. 
• He followed up his observation that milkmaids who had previously caught cowpox did not later catch smallpox by showing that inoculated cowpox protected against inoculated smallpox. 
• Hence, The first vaccine produced by Edward Jenner was for protection against Smallpox  
• So, the correct answer is 'Smallpox'.

The polio vaccine was developed in 1955 by Dr. Jonas Salk and thus called the “Salk vaccine”. It is the inactivated or killed vaccine that was given by intramuscular injection but now it is given orally.

• Rabies is a viral disease caused by the rabies virus that causes inflammation of the brain in humans and other mammals. Early symptoms can include fever and tingling at the site of exposure.
• Virtually all infections with rabies resulted in death until two French scientists, Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux, developed the first rabies vaccination in 1885.
• Hence vaccine against rabies was first developed by Pasteur.
• So, the correct answer is 'Pasteur'.