A 6-month-old boy is brought to the clinic by his mother and grandmother for a routine well-child visit. The child was born full-term and has no medical problems. He recently learned to sit with support and is starting to eat pureed foods. Vital signs and physical examination are normal. As part of the routine pediatric immunization schedule, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is ordered. The patient's grandmother says that she recently received the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Which of the following statements is true regarding the difference between the pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines?

Question

A 6-month-old boy is brought to the clinic by his mother and grandmother for a routine well-child visit.  The child was born full-term and has no medical problems.  He recently learned to sit with support and is starting to eat pureed foods.  Vital signs and physical examination are normal.  As part of the routine pediatric immunization schedule, the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine is ordered.  The patient's grandmother says that she recently received the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine.  Which of the following statements is true regarding the difference between the pneumococcal conjugate and polysaccharide vaccines?

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Eductional Objective: Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines are strongly immunogenic in infancy due to both B and T cell recruitment.  They provide higher, longer-lasting antibody titers relative to pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines.  The pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine is poorly immunogenic in infants due to their relatively immature humoral antibody response.

A 6-Month-Old Boy Is Brought to the Clinic by His