Bright Raven
Well-known member
This is somewhat of a generalization but Vaccines are more effective against viruses than they are against bacteria. And antibiotics don't work on viruses.
I had a discussion with a veterinarian in Missouri who is skeptical of some of the cattle vaccines for Bacteria (bacterins not toxoids). He is even more skeptical of cattle vaccines for protozoan parasites such as Trichomonas.
The primary reason vaccines are more effective against viruses is because viruses are simple. They consist of a capsule which encloses a single strand of DNA or RNA with many fewer proteins than a bacterium. So immunologist are better able to isolate the antigens that might provoke a productive immune response (read produce antibodies).
There is also a practical reason, more effort is put into viral vaccines because antibiotics are not effective against viruses.
Antibiotics are simply chemicals, meaning they do not work through the immune system. Happens to be my son's profession. It is more difficult in simple terms to formulate small molecules to destroy/disable viruses than it is bacteria.
So scientist have concentrated on vaccine development for viruses rather than chemicals to kill/disable them.
The catch is that drug companies have marketed vaccines against bacteria in cattle, for example the vaccines against Moraxella (primary cause of pinkeye), that may have little or no effectiveness. They probably could not get away with this in humans because the standards/regulations prevent it.
Now toxoids versus bacterins is a horse of a different color.
I had a discussion with a veterinarian in Missouri who is skeptical of some of the cattle vaccines for Bacteria (bacterins not toxoids). He is even more skeptical of cattle vaccines for protozoan parasites such as Trichomonas.
The primary reason vaccines are more effective against viruses is because viruses are simple. They consist of a capsule which encloses a single strand of DNA or RNA with many fewer proteins than a bacterium. So immunologist are better able to isolate the antigens that might provoke a productive immune response (read produce antibodies).
There is also a practical reason, more effort is put into viral vaccines because antibiotics are not effective against viruses.
Antibiotics are simply chemicals, meaning they do not work through the immune system. Happens to be my son's profession. It is more difficult in simple terms to formulate small molecules to destroy/disable viruses than it is bacteria.
So scientist have concentrated on vaccine development for viruses rather than chemicals to kill/disable them.
The catch is that drug companies have marketed vaccines against bacteria in cattle, for example the vaccines against Moraxella (primary cause of pinkeye), that may have little or no effectiveness. They probably could not get away with this in humans because the standards/regulations prevent it.
Now toxoids versus bacterins is a horse of a different color.
