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Elements of Immunity Acquired Immunity

Acquired immunity is the resistance developed by man during his life due to specific antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes produced in response to specific antigens. It is of two types: active and passive immunity. Active immunity occurs when an individual develops resistance after exposure to an antigen, either through natural infection or artificial immunization like vaccines. Passive immunity provides temporary protection by transferring antibodies or sensitized cells from an immune individual to a non-immune one.

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47 views3 pages

Elements of Immunity Acquired Immunity

Acquired immunity is the resistance developed by man during his life due to specific antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes produced in response to specific antigens. It is of two types: active and passive immunity. Active immunity occurs when an individual develops resistance after exposure to an antigen, either through natural infection or artificial immunization like vaccines. Passive immunity provides temporary protection by transferring antibodies or sensitized cells from an immune individual to a non-immune one.

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Surya Adhikari
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Elements of Immunity: Acquired Immunity

The resistance developed by man during his life is known as Acquired immunity or Adaptive
immunity.
This is distinct from innate immunity in that it is due to specific antibodies or sensitized lymphocytes
produces in response to specific antigens. Hence, this immunity is also known as specific immunity.
This acquired specific immunity is of two types namely Active and Passive.
Both active and passive immunity may be Natural or Artificial.

I) ACTIVE IMMUNITY
Active immunity is the resistance developed by an individual in response to an antigenic
stimulus.

The antigen may gain entrance either by natural infection or through any other sources such as
artificial immunization by vaccination.

a) Natural Active Immunity:


Immunity is developed by the host in response to the antigen that enters
by natural infections.
For example, a person attacked by measles or smallpox develops natural active
immunity as he recovers from the diseases.
The immunity acquired by way of such infections is also long lasting in many
cases. For example, life time immunity is got following certain viral infections
such as smallpox, measles and mumps.

b) Artificial Active Immunity:


In artificial active immunity, immunity is attained by the host in response to
the antigen got by vaccination. Vaccines are preparations of live (attenuated)
or killed microorganism or their products (toxoids).
Live Vaccine (attenuated): in this preparation, live
microorganisms are attenuated by different methods.
Attenuation results in the loss of pathogenicity without the
loss of antigenicity of the microorganisms.
E.g.: Anthrax vaccine,
BCG (Bacille Calmette Guerin),
Sabin Vaccine (oral Poliomyelities
Vaccine),
Measels Vaccine.
Vaccines prepared with killed microorganisms: In this
vaccines, microorganisms are killed in their virulent phase
either by heat or antiseptics. While killing, care is taken not
to denature the antigen by excessive heat or strong detergents.
E.g.: Salk vaccine,
Influenza vaccine,
TAB vaccine,
Pertussis vaccine,
Toxoid,
Tetanus Toxoid (TT),
Diptheria Toxoid,
Triple Vaccine (DPT).

Immunization schedule for Children


Age Vaccine
From 3rdday after birth BCG
3 months DPT (1) OPV (1)
4 months DPT (2) OPV (2)
5 months DPT (3) OPV (3)
10 months Measles
16 months Booster dose or DPT and OPV

DPT = Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus vaccine (Triple vaccine)


OPV = Oral polio vaccine

II) PASSIVE IMMUNITY


The immunity that non-immune individual acquires by receiving antibodies or sensitized white blood
cells from another immune individual is known as passive immunity.
The immunity is caused by passive immunization is less effective and inferior than that caused by
active immunization. The main advantage of passive immunization is that it is immediate in its action
of producing immunization and so this method would be used when immediate immunity is needed.
Passive immunity is also two types namely Natural and artificial.

a) Natural Passive immunity:


The immunity transferred from the mother to the child passively is known as natural passive
immunity.
 In human beings, this natural passive immunity occurs mainly by the passage of antibodies from
the mother to her unborn child through the placenta during the later part of pregnancy.
 The antibodies that are transferred are entirely Ig.G as other immunoglobulin sub-types (A, D,
E and M) do not pass the placental barrier.
 In other primates and in most of the other mammals such as pig the transfer of antibodies from
the mother to the young one occurs mainly orally through the colostrums (the first milk produced by
the mother after the birth of the offspring).
b) Artificial Passive Immunity:

Transfer of immunity from an immunized donor to a non immune recipient by transferring antibodies or
immunized lymphocytes is known as artificial passive immunity.
Artificially passive immunity is therapeutically (science of treating diseases) used in the treatment
of tetanus, diphtheria, gas gangrene, snake bite and immuno deficiency states.

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