Question

An infectious disease researcher isolates the pathogen responsible for an emerging disease. The microbe is grown in the lab for many generations. A preparation of the laboratory-grown microbe is treated with ionizing radiation and then tested for its potential as a vaccine. What type of vaccine is this?

A) combination
B) subunit
C) toxoid
D) attenuated
E) inactivated whole

Answer 1

The preparation of a laboratory-grown microbe treated with ionizing radiation for use as a vaccine is known as an inactivated whole vaccine, which contains the entire pathogen in a non-replicative form that cannot cause disease but can stimulate an immune response. The correct option is E) inactivated whole

Step-by-step explanation:

If a laboratory-grown microbe is treated with ionizing radiation to prepare it for use as a vaccine, this typically indicates that the microbe has been inactivated but is still whole. Therefore, such a vaccine is referred to as an inactivated whole vaccine.

These types of vaccines contain pathogens that have been killed or inactivated through heat, chemicals, or radiation, such as ionizing radiation mentioned in the scenario. The goal of inactivated vaccines is to ensure that while the pathogen can no longer replicate or cause disease, the structure of key antigens remains intact to elicit an immune response without infecting the individual. The correct option is E) inactivated whole