Question

A recent Coronavirus outbreak is developing in Australia and the World Health Organization has sent you to investigate it. You discover that the reservoir for the virus are snakes, but it reached humans via rabbits. In addition, it appears that the virus has a higher adsorption level compared to other viruses. With this information, provide a strategy to generate: (i) a passive immunization and (ii) an active immunization.

Answer 1

Passive immunity is gained in humans when they directly receive antibodies either by transfer of antibodies through milk from the mother or in the form of vaccine .

We can generate antibodies for a particular antigen present on the disease causing pathogen by introducing the weak or dead pathogen in to the blood of a big animal. In this case, it can be introduced in to the blood of rabbit for extracting antibodies. The animal will not suffer from the disease but produces antibodies for the disease. After couple of weeks, blood can be extracted from this animal and serum is separated. The serum contains antibodies for the antigen of the pathogen. These antibody containing serum is developed in to a vaccine which causes passive immunization when injected in to humans.

ii) Active immunization occurs when an atigen is injected in to the individual. Antigen can be extracted by isolating the virus from the reservoir animal. Antigen is extracted from the virus and utilized to develop vaccine. Such vaccine having antigen of the virus when ijected, it causes active immunity to the virus.

Active immunity involves production of antibodies by ones own self because of the introduction of the antigen in the body.