Resources
Acquired and Passive Immunity: Diphtheria Antitoxin Serum
Grade Levels: 7–9
Academic Topics
- Science
Overview
Students learn about diphtheria, a highly contagious bacterial disease, and its treatment from the 19th–century. The “How did they make diphtheria antitoxin?” illustration on the From DNA to Beer online exhibition, provide students with a visual overview of an acquired immune response in the horses injected with the diphtheria toxin. Then they build on the illustration and add elements that show how the horse’s antibodies from the serum provide passive immunity to prevent or treat diphtheria in people.
Students also use MedlinePlus’s Medical Encyclopedia to acquire several terms related to immune system and define what acquired and passive immunities are and how they differ.
- Lesson 1: “Living Factories”
Students learn about diphtheria and antitoxin treatment through three primary–source images featured in a From DNA to Beer section titled, “Living Factories”. - Lesson 2: An Immune Response
Students work with the illustration, “How did they make diphtheria antitoxin?” as a visual overview of an acquired immune response in the horses injected with the diphtheria toxin. They build on the illustration to show what they have learned about the passive immunity, as well as MedlinePlus’s Medical Encyclopedia to define and learn several terms associated with immune system and to create an educational illustration of how the diphtheria vaccine works for their peers.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this class resource, students are expected to:
- Explain how animals were used to develop and produce diphtheria antitoxins.
- Define and put into use several terms related to the immune system, such as, toxin, antitoxin, antibody, acquired immunity, passive immunity, serum, and pathogen.
- Describe the difference between the acquired immune response and passive immunity.
- Illustrate how diphtheria vaccines works.