We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Procedures

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Conjugate Vaccine?

By C. Martin
Updated: May 17, 2024
Views: 41,937
Share

In medicine, a conjugate vaccine, or conjugated vaccine, is a type of vaccine that is created by joining an antigen to a protein molecule. Conjugated vaccines are usually used to immunize babies and children against certain bacterial infections. The immature immune systems of very young people often have difficulty recognizing certain antigens, so ordinary vaccines may not be effective for some diseases. The protein part of this vaccine acts as a carrier for the antigen, and serves to magnify the immunological response to it. In this way, a conjugate vaccine may be significantly more successful in immunizing babies and children against certain bacteria.

The types of bacteria these vaccines are designed to inoculate children against tend to be bacteria that have polysaccharide capsules. In these bacteria, a layer of mucus constructed from polysaccharide molecules protects the antigens on the surface of the bacterial cell. This makes it more difficult for human immune cells, or white blood cells, to recognize the bacteria and mount an immunological attack. A conjugate vaccine, therefore, usually consists of a polysaccharide antigen combined with a carrier protein. The combination of the antigen with the protein creates a substance that is more easily recognizable to the white blood cells in the human blood, resulting in a stronger immune response.

Two important vaccines in child health care are the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and the meningococcal conjugate vaccine (MCV). PCV is routinely used in many countries to prevent bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, and related infections in children. This vaccine does not protect immunized children against all pneumococcal bacteria. There are over 90 different kinds of pneumococcal bacteria, and the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine only protects against seven of these. These seven types of bacteria, however, cause a large proportion of severe pneumococcal diseases, and the vaccine can help prevent a great majority of these infections.

The meningococcal vaccine is designed to protect children against a different strain of meningitis, which is caused by a bacterium called meningococcus. It works in a similar way to PCV and is used to immunize both young children and adolescents up to 18 years old. This vaccine is typically administered to children and young adults who have experienced exposure to a meningococcal strain of bacteria, for example if an incidence of meningitis has occurred in a school or college.

Share
WiseGeek is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.

Editors' Picks

Discussion Comments
By MrsWinslow — On May 24, 2011

@SailorJerry - Yes, Prevnar is a conjugate vaccine. I think all the PCV ones are (there are a few different brands on the market). PCV is usually one of the first vaccines given, at the 2 month checkup. (If you follow the Sears alternate schedule, you would bring the child back at the 3 month mark just for vaccines and get PCV then.)

The other vaccine the article mentions, the MCV, is not given until the child is school-aged, so you have more time to think about that one.

By SailorJerry — On May 22, 2011

Is Prevnar a conjugate vaccine? I think my pediatrician said that's the one they use for PCV. I'm not too concerned about, for instance, the hepatitis B vaccine right now, but I've read the PCV is one the vaccines that really protects babies from things they can get right away.

By anon162700 — On Mar 24, 2011

Thank you! I did not understand what conjugated vaccines were after reading about them in my textbook. The way that it is explained here is much easier to understand!

Share
https://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-a-conjugate-vaccine.htm
Copy this link
WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

WiseGeek, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.