CDC NATIONAL AIDS HOTLINE TRAINING BULLETIN #8 - May 27, 1992
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

1. What is a vaccine?

A vaccine is a substance containing antigenic components (usually an organism that is killed/inactivated by heat, chemicals, or an antigen produced by recombinant methods). A vaccine (injection or oral) when given to an individual who is not infected with the organism, is designed to stimulate the immune system to produce a specific cellular response and/or antibodies against that organism (immune response) resulting in protection of the individual against infection by that organism. (Translation: vaccines use dead or crippled germs to prompt the immune system to produce antibodies against a live germ, protecting an uninfected person from infection by that specific germ.)

2. What is a therapeutic vaccine?

A therapeutic vaccine refers to the utilization of a vaccine in the hope that it will bring about the reconstitution of an impaired immune system (stimulate an immune response and production of antibodies and/or cellar response) in an individual who is already infected with that organism and has already mounted an immune response to that organism. The aim of administering the therapeutic vaccine is to increase the individual's immunity to the organism. Vaccines for use as therapeutics are currently under study. (Translation: a therapeutic vaccine is given a person who is already infected by a germ to increase their immune system's response to that germ, e.g., make more antibodies to the germ.)

3. What is an immunomodulator?

An immunomodulator (Biological Response Modifier) is a substance given to modify the response of the immune system to a foreign stimulus (which may be an infectious organism or a tumor). A key difference between an immunomodulator and a vaccine is that vaccines are designed to modify immune responses to specific foreign stimuli, whereas immunomodulators generally have more broad effects. Biochemically, immunomodulators generally consist of naturally occurring molecules (cytokines or interleukins) or analogues or inhibitors thereof. Cytokines and interleukins have been shown to be important in the normal functioning of the immune system. Immunomodulators may have effects on a specific arm, or on all arms of the immune system (arms being the cellular, complement, and reticuloendothelial systems). (Translation: vaccines work against a specific germ; immunomodulators affect a broader part of the immune system's response to an infection or tumor by increasing or decreasing biochemicals that are part of the immune system.)

4. Who can I contact for more information on vaccines for HIV infection and AIDS?

The CDC National AIDS Hotline (1-800-342-AIDS) has trained information specialists to answer questions or provide referrals on HIV infection and AIDS.

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