Which one of the following cannot be used for preparation of vaccines against plague?
A
Formalin-inactivated suspensions of virulent bacteria
B
Avirulent live bacteria
C
Synthetic capsular polysaccharide material
D
Heat-killed suspensions of virulent bacteria
The answer is C.
Solution
Plague is caused by the bacterium $Yersinia\ pestis$. Vaccines against plague have been prepared from killed bacteria (formalin-inactivated or heat-killed suspensions of virulent bacteria) and from live attenuated, avirulent strains. Synthetic capsular polysaccharide vaccines are available for other bacterial diseases, such as pneumonia caused by $Streptococcus\ pneumoniae$ and $Haemophilus\ influenzae$, and meningitis caused by $Neisseria\ meningitidis$. Such a polysaccharide vaccine is not available for plague. Hence synthetic capsular polysaccharide material cannot be used for preparing vaccines against plague.
ConceptTypes of vaccines
Human Health and Disease in past papers
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