What type of vaccine adjuvant enhances the immune response by inducing inflammation?

Study for the APhA Immunization Exam. Prepare with flashcards and multiple choice questions, each with hints and explanations. Get ready for your certification!

The correct answer is that recombinant vaccines often use adjuvants designed to enhance the immune response by inducing inflammation. Adjuvants are substances that are added to vaccines to enhance the body's immune response to the provided antigens.

Recombinant vaccines typically contain purified proteins or antigens derived from a pathogen, which may not be sufficient alone to elicit a strong immune response. By including specific adjuvants that stimulate inflammation, the immune system is prompted to react more vigorously to the antigens present in the vaccine. This can lead to a more robust and long-lasting immune response, making the vaccine more effective in providing protection.

In contrast, live attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccines generally induce immune responses without the need for additional adjuvants, as they contain whole pathogens or their components that can activate immune responses adequately on their own. Live vaccines, for example, stimulate immunity by replicating in the body and mimicking natural infection, while inactivated vaccines contain killed pathogens that also can elicit immune responses based on their structure. Therefore, considering the intent of enhancing immune response through inflammation, recombinant vaccines specifically rely on adjuvant use to achieve this goal.

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