Safety concerns in the latter part of the twentieth century prompted the development of an acellular formulation of a vaccine directed against Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough. This acellular vaccine, made from a mixture of four
A) A robust antibody response comprised primarily of IgA
B) A robust systemic antibody response comprised primarily of IgG
C) A strong inflammatory response leading to septic shock
D) A robust cellular response comprised primarily of TH17 cells
E) A robust cellular response comprised primarily of TFH cells

Question

Safety concerns in the latter part of the twentieth century prompted the development of an acellular formulation of a vaccine directed against Bordetella pertussis, the causative agent of whooping cough. This acellular vaccine, made from a mixture of four
A) A robust antibody response comprised primarily of IgA 
B) A robust systemic antibody response comprised primarily of IgG
C) A strong inflammatory response leading to septic shock
D) A robust cellular response comprised primarily of TH17 cells
E) A robust cellular response comprised primarily of TFH cells

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The acellular vaccine is designed to elicit a robust systemic antibody response, primarily of the IgG subtype, against Bordetella pertussis. This is in contrast to the whole-cell vaccine which can cause side effects due to a strong inflammatory response leading to septic shock. Therefore, (B) is the correct answer. Options (A), (D), and (E) are not relevant to the acellular vaccine for pertussis. Option (C) is incorrect as safety concerns were the reason behind the development of acellular vaccine, and not safety concerns due to the use of a whole-cell vaccine.

Safety Concerns in the Latter Part of the Twentieth Century