Term: vaccine
https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.V06585

Definition:
An agent containing antigens produced from killed, attenuated or live pathogenic microorganisms, synthetic peptides or by recombinant organisms, used for stimulating the immune system of the recipient to produce specific antibodies providing active immunity and/or passive immunity in the progeny.

Related Terms:
1) antigens (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00394).
2) antibodies (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.A00384).
3) peptides (http://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.P04479).

Source: PAC, 1992, 64, 143. 'Glossary for chemists of terms used in biotechnology (IUPAC Recommendations 1992)' on page 167 (https://doi.org/10.1351/pac199264010143)

Citation: 'vaccine' in IUPAC Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 5th ed. International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry; 2025. Online version 5.0.0, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.V06585

License: The IUPAC Gold Book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike CC BY-SA 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) for individual terms.

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