Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) Practice Exam

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What type of acquired immunity is a vaccination?

Artificial passive
Artificial active
Natural passive
Natural active

The correct answer is: Artificial active

Vaccination is recognized as artificial active immunity because it stimulates the immune system to produce a response without causing the disease itself. When a person receives a vaccine, it introduces a harmless component of a pathogen, such as weakened or inactivated bacteria or viruses, or pieces of the pathogen, like proteins. This exposure triggers the immune system to respond by creating antibodies and memory cells that will recognize and fight off the actual pathogen in the future, should it enter the body. In contrast, passive immunity involves the transfer of antibodies from one individual to another (natural passive being from mother to child through breast milk, and artificial passive being through injections of antibodies). Active immunity, on the other hand, is characterized by the body actively producing its own antibodies in response to exposure to a pathogen or a vaccine. Since vaccination actively engages and prepares the immune system, it falls under the category of artificial active immunity.