Akeres Habayis- Vaccines- Who's speaking???

5*Mom

Tue, Feb 16 2016, 1:23 pm

dancingqueen wrote:

Its not just about having more genes. Viruses can mutate too since they also contain genetic material- that's why there are new flu vaccines every year.

Its easier to treat bacterial infections because they are more complex living organisms that replicate on their own, so we can target antibiotics to the parts of the bacterial cell that are different than ours. Viruses cannot replicate on their own, they need to use use our cellular mechanisms to replicate so they are harder to target with anti-virals (though we do have some.) Because its harder to fight viruses once they've invaded its usually easier to use a vaccine to teach the immune system to recognize and destroy viruses preemptively.

The question, I think, was why aren't there more vaccines for common bacterial illnesses. One answer (I suspect only a partial answer) is that bacteria have more genetic material and mutate at much greater rates than viruses, generally speaking, which makes them less stable and harder to control in the manufacture of vaccines.

Flu vaccine, with its relatively low efficacy rate, would actually be a great example of this: pathogens, whether bacterial or viral, that have a high mutation rate are very difficult to successfully inoculate against.

ETA: This is my simple understanding of a complex topic based on what I've been reading (I've posted some links upthread) but I seem to recall that this is really vaccine amother's niche. I'm hoping she'll weigh in here, if we haven't scared her away.

Last edited by 5*Mom on Tue, Feb 16 2016, 1:30 pm; edited 1 time in total

dancingqueen

Tue, Feb 16 2016, 3:06 pm

chaiz wrote:

I posted as you posted. But I am not getting how it is easier to create vaccinations against bacterial infections versus viral infections.

It's easier to create vaccines against viruses because the literally are just proteins, a genome and maybe a lipid. So you can just shred up the viral protein make sure it's dead and voila immune response. Bacteria are much more complicated.

sourstix

Tue, Feb 16 2016, 6:37 pm

[quote="amother"]We are chassidish and vaccinate our children right before the beshow with the girl who will shave and won't drive and we won't allow enhanced secular studies either. At the tenoyim we sign that we will take epidural and breastfeed exclusively and the chussen promises to pay for cleaning help. If we follow all the terms we will be awarded a bugaboo. Those with a stellar record will get a bugaboo donkey.[/quote]

this was so so painful to read,