Exam 18: Applications of Immune Responses

You are about to graduate as a RN. Your final term project is to prepare a presentation on HIV/AIDS. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a retrovirus—it is an enveloped single-stranded virus that has duplicate copies of a single-stranded RNA genome. All retroviruses encode reverse transcriptase, an enzyme that uses an RNA genome as a template to make a complementary DNA strand. HIV can infect a variety of human cell types, but the most important are the helper T cells (also called CD4 cells)—the virus infects these cells and causes their death; their numbers slowly decline until the immune system can no longer resist infections or tumor development. You give your presentation to the class and are asked by your professor at the end of the session to answer some questions that your peers have on diagnosing HIV. -The Western blot is used to confirm the results of an ELISA test. Which of the following is the correct sequence of steps involved in this procedure? 1) To determine if a patient's serum has antibodies specific for any of the proteins in the sample (in this case HIV proteins), some of that serum is added to the blot, after which unbound antibodies are washed off. 2) The antigen proteins separate according to size. The separated proteins in the gel are then transferred ("blotted") to a nylon membrane to immobilize them in the same positions they were in the gel. 3) A type of gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) is used to separate the proteins of an antigen, which involves loading the sample onto a polyacrylamide gel matrix, and running an electrical current through it. 4) Labeled anti-human IgG antibodies are added, which bind to any serum antibodies that have attached to the proteins. Unbound labeled antibodies are then washed off and attached label is detected. 

Attenuated vaccines have several advantages. Which of the following is NOT an advantage of these vaccines?

Since many childhood diseases such as mumps and measles are rare now within the United States, why is it still important for children to be immunized against them?  

You explain to the parent of the child with measles the importance of vaccinations. She responds by saying that measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella are very rare diseases in developed countries and she doesn't want her child to go through getting her shots. She worries about the safety of the MMRV vaccine. Which is the best response regarding this concern? 

Immunological tests may determine the presence of

Attenuated agents are

Which of the following is NOT an example of an inactivated vaccine?

Which antibodies cross the placenta and protect the fetus?

Which of the following tests allows the separation of cells according to their sizes, densities, and surface markers tagged by specific fluorescent antibodies?

Recombinant vaccines and inactivated vaccines typically require several shots to be effective.

Immunodiffusion tests

The last case of naturally contracted smallpox occurred in

You are very concerned about the  child with leukemia  who was in your office before you saw the measles patient. You know that the two children had been in the same waiting room for at least 20 minutes and that measles is a highly contagious disease. You also know that the patient with cancer has not received his MMRV vaccine because

A poorly understood, yet promising type of vaccine that causes the host to produce microbial antigens for a short time involves the use of

Blood for transfusion is frequently tested for HIV by using the

Why is a False positive more significant in HIV testing of patients than in screening donated blood for transfusions?

Almost all of the antibodies found in a newborn are

All of the following are True about attenuated agents EXCEPT

For which of the following childhood diseases is a subunit vaccine recommended?

Anti-human IgG antibodies are often used in