Final answer:
True, inactivated vaccines and live vaccines operate independently; the former focuses on humoral immunity without risk of active infection, while the latter can trigger both cellular and humoral immunity with a slight risk of reverting to a virulent form.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that inactivated vaccines are not affected by live vaccines and vice versa is true. Inactivated vaccines use pathogens that have been killed or inactivated, which cannot produce an active infection or be transmitted to other individuals. These vaccines typically focus on humoral immunity and often require higher doses and multiple boosters. Live vaccines, in contrast, contain weakened forms of the 'wild-type' virus and can stimulate both cellular and humoral immunity, potentially conferring longer-lasting protection.
However, there is a low, yet significant, risk with live vaccines that they may revert back to their virulent form through back mutations, as occurred in Nigeria in 2007 with the polio vaccine. This risk is not associated with inactivated vaccines because the pathogen is not capable of replicating or causing active infection.
It is also significant to understand that the inactivation process for inactivated vaccines must be carefully managed so as not to alter the structure of the key antigens on the pathogen to ensure an effective immune response.