This type of vaccine has been available since
the 1950’s (2). These vaccines have been developed to contain a version of the
microbe that has been weakened in the lab (1). They will grow within someone
who is vaccinated however they will not cause disease or if they manage to then
it will be very mild (2). The immune response they evoke is really good since
it is close to the response a person would have experienced if they actually
were to have contracted the actual disease. Since these vaccines can be
slightly unpredictable there are a degree of safety concerns. Attenuated
pathogens have the potential to revert back to their pathogenic form and cause
disease, however, with a functional immune system the body will be able to
eliminate the attenuated pathogen. This does become a point concern for those
who are immunocompromised though since their immune system is not able to
eliminate the attenuated pathogen as readily as someone who has a competent
immune system. For this reason, those with a compromised immune system is not
able to receive these types of vaccines (2). Live attenuated vaccines are easy
to manufacture for certain viruses, however for others it can be difficult for
more complex pathogens like bacteria and parasites (1). Measles, mumps, rubella,
and rotavirus all have a live attenuated vaccine associated with it (1,2).
- National
Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (2019, July 1). Vaccine Types.
Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/vaccine-types
- World Health
Organization. (n.d.). Live Attenuated Vaccines (LAV). Retrieved April 29, 2020,
from https://vaccine-safety-training.org/live-attenuated-vaccines.html
