Which of the following regarding oral polio vaccine (OPV) is not true?
**Core Concept:** Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is a live attenuated virus vaccine that is administered orally to prevent poliomyelitis caused by the three serotypes of poliovirus. It stimulates both humoral and cellular immunity.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right:** The correct answer, D, states that OPV does not offer sterile immunity. In the context of polio vaccination, sterile immunity refers to complete protection against all strains of the virus without any possibility of vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) emergence. Since OPV contains live attenuated poliovirus, there is a chance of reversion to virulence and the production of VDPV, which can cause paralytic disease.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect:**
A. This option incorrectly states that OPV induces both mucosal and systemic immunity, which is true as mentioned above.
B. This option incorrectly states that OPV offers sterile immunity, which is already explained as incorrect in the correct answer.
C. This option incorrectly states that OPV does not cause neutralizing antibodies, which is false as OPV stimulates production of these antibodies.
**Clinical Pearl:**
The clinical pearl here is that live attenuated vaccines, like OPV, carry a risk of causing vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV) outbreaks due to the possibility of reversion to virulence. This risk led to the global switch from OPV to inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) in most vaccination programs in the mid-2010s.
**Correct Answer:** D. OPV does not offer sterile immunity.
**Explanation:**
Oral polio vaccine (OPV) is a type of vaccine that contains live attenuated strains of the poliovirus, which are weakened but still capable of causing infection in susceptible individuals. However, the vaccine virus does not completely eliminate the chances of reversion to virulence, meaning the vaccine can potentially cause vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). This VDPV can lead to vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) cases and outbreaks, particularly in populations with low vaccine coverage or suboptimal sanitation. The risk of VAPP has led to a global shift towards using inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), which offers sterile immunity and does not pose the risk of VDPV outbreaks.