Immunologic adjuvant

In immunology, an adjuvant is a substance that increases or modulates the immune response to a vaccine.[1] The word "adjuvant" comes from the Latin word adiuvare, meaning to help or aid. "An immunologic adjuvant is defined as any substance that acts to accelerate, prolong, or enhance antigen-specific immune responses when used in combination with specific vaccine antigens."[2]

In the early days of vaccine manufacture, significant variations in the efficacy of different batches of the same vaccine were correctly assumed to be caused by contamination of the reaction vessels. However, it was soon found that more scrupulous cleaning actually seemed to reduce the effectiveness of the vaccines, and some contaminants actually enhanced the immune response.

There are many known adjuvants in widespread use, including aluminium salts, oils and virosomes.[3]

  1. ^ "Guideline on Adjuvants in Vaccines for Human Use" (PDF). The European Medicines Agency. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  2. ^ Sasaki S, Okuda K (2000). "The Use of Conventional Immunologic Adjuvants in DNA Vaccine Preparations". In Lowrie DB, Whalen RG (eds.). DNA Vaccines: Methods and Protocols. Methods in Molecular Medicine. Vol. 29. Humana Press. pp. 241–250. doi:10.1385/1-59259-688-6:241. ISBN 978-0896035805. PMID 21374324.
  3. ^ Travis K (January 2007). "Deciphering Immunology's Dirty Secret". The Scientist. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2018-09-14.

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