How vaccines work: Vaccines work by mimicking disease agents and stimulating the immune system to build up defenses

against them. Response to vaccine: The immune system protects the body from pathogens, which are agents that can cause disease. A Vaccine is like a pathogen imposter: it looks like a certain bacteria or virus to the immune system but doesn!t make the body sick. "athogens are covered with molecules called Antigens that can trigger a specific immune response. Vaccination e#poses the body to antigens that are similar to the antigens found on a pathogen. $y posing as a specific pathogen, the vaccine primes the immune system to respond with speed and strength if the body encounters the pathogen in the future. Response to Vaccine: %apture Antigen "resenting %ell &A"%': A"%!s roam the body looking for invaders. (hen an A"% finds the vaccine antigen, it ingests the invader, breaks it apart, and displays a piece of the antigen on its surface. T Helper %ell Activation: A"%!s displaying the antigen travel to areas where immune cells cluster, such as lymph nodes. )a*ve T %ells specific to the antigen recogni+e it as foreign and become activated. T Helper cells &one type of active T %ells' alert nearby cells to the presence of the invader. $ %ell Activation: )a*ve $ %ells react to the vaccine antigen when it enters the body. $ %ells can recogni+e antigens displayed by A"%!s as well as antigens travelling freely in the body. Active $ %ells can undergo cell division, producing more active $ %ells that are specific to the vaccine antigen. ,ome of these will mature into plasma $ %ells, and others will develop into memory $ %ells. $ %ells mature into "lasma $ %ells: After activation by the vaccine antigen and receipt of signals from activated T helper cells, some $ %ells transform into plasma $ %ells produce antibodies specific to the vaccine antigen. "lasma $ %ells secrete antibodies: - shaped proteins called antibodies are released at high levels every second. The number of antibody types in the human body is in the hundreds of millions, allowing for interaction and binding with a huge range of antigens. Antibodies bind to specific antigens: .ach antibody tightly attaches to one specific, target antigen, similar to a lock and key. This action may prevent the antigen from entering a cell or mark the antigen for destruction. /iller T cell response: 0f the vaccine contains attenuated viruses, the vaccine viruses enter cells. /iller T cells find and destroy the invaded cells. )a*ve killer T cells re1uire an A"% to display an antigen piece before they are activated. Retention of 2emory cells: The goal of immuni+ation is to procure memory of the vaccine antigen via a large population of memory cells. 0f the real pathogen enters the body in the future,

memory cells will recogni+e it. The body!s response will be stronger and faster than if had never encountered the pathogen. RESPONSE TO PATHOGEN: Vaccination 3programs4 the immune system to remember a particular disease agent by allowing it to 3practice4 on a weekend or killed version of the pathogen. This is called a primary response to a pathogen. 0f the pathogen invades the body again in full strength, the immune system is ready to respond with a swift and specific defense. This is called secondary response to a pathogen. ,econdary responses happen faster and at a greater magnitude than primary responses, resulting in the creation of more antibodies to fight the pathogen and more memory cells to fight it in the future. 0nfection: a pathogen enters the body. Antigen presenting cells &A"%!s' ingest it, displaying portions of the antigens on their surface. Activation of memory cells: 2emory T %ells created during the vaccination process encounters the A"%!s and recogni+e the antigen they are displaying. 2emory T helper cells, similar to their counterparts in the vaccination process. (ill release signals to alert other immune cells and encourage a response. "resence of the pathogen will also reactivate memory $ cells. 5ong living cells that react specifically to a particular antigen. 2emory $ %ells become Active "lasma cells: 2emory $ %ells respond to the presence of an antigen by activating and differentiating into plasma $ cells. The plasma $ cells produce and secrete antibodies specific to the antigen that activated them. However, in the secondary response, the plasma cells produce more antibodies and at a faster rate than in the primary response. Antibodies Attack the "athogen: The antibodies bind to the surface of the pathogen. This can have a number of different effects depending on the pathogen and the types of antibodies produced against it, it may prevent the pathogen from entering a cell or mark it for removal or destruction by other cells of the immune system. /iller T %ells: 0f the vaccination process induced a killer T cell response, then memory cells of that type will persist and be activated by e#posure to the antigen. 0nducing a killer T cell response during vaccination is helpful, because when reactivated, memory killer T cells will 1uickly seek out infected cell and destroy them, preventing the spread of the infection. Antibodies Attack the "athogen: The antibodies bind to the surface of the pathogen, this can have a number of different effects depending on the pathogen and the types of antibodies produced against it: it may prevent the pathogen from entering a cell or mark it for removal or destruction by other cells of the immune system. /iller T cell respond: 0f vaccination process induce a /iller T cells response, then memory cells of that type will persist and be activated by e#posure to the antigen. 0nducing a killer T cells

response during vaccination is helpful , because when reactivated, memory killer T cells will 1uickly seek out infected cells and destroy them, preventing the spread of the infection. Retention of 2emory %ells: The invading pathogen has been stopped. As with the original vaccination. ,ome memory $ and T cells remain to guard against any future attacks by the same pathogen. 2emory cells can persist in an individual!s body for decades. http:66www.historyofvaccines.org6content6how vaccines work