Tetanus Is a Bacterial Infection That Is Commonly Acquired from Puncture

question 32

Multiple Choice

Tetanus is a bacterial infection that is commonly acquired from puncture wounds. Why do you need to be vaccinated against the flu every year, but you only need a virus booster against tetanus every 10 years?

• A)Antibody production against viruses drops off about 10 times faster than antibody production against bacterial infections, so you need to be vaccinated 10 times more frequently against the flu.
• B)The flu is everywhere but bacterial infections are incredibly rare, so you don't need to be as careful in maintaining your immunity against them.
• C)There is a higher rate of mutation in viruses than in bacteria, so you need to change the antibodies you are producing (through vaccination)every year for the flu.
• D)Infections that enter the body through the bloodstream (like tetanus)are much less toxic than infections that enter the body through binding to epithelial cells (like the flu).

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Definitions:

Equilibrium

A state in which opposing forces or influences are balanced, often used in chemistry to describe reactions where reactants and products are formed at the same rate.

Products

Substances formed as a result of a chemical reaction, appearing on the right side of a chemical equation.

Reactants

Substances that undergo chemical changes in a reaction, transforming into products.

Equilibrium

A state in a chemical reaction where the rates of the forward reaction and reverse reaction are equal, leading to no net change in the concentration of reactants and products.