Why are live-attenuated vaccines generally contraindicated for individuals who are taking high doses of systemic immunosuppressive medications?
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Correct answer: The weakened pathogen may replicate unchecked, causing severe systemic infection.
Live-attenuated vaccines rely on a intact, functional immune system to keep the weakened pathogen's replication tightly contained. If a patient's immune defenses are suppressed by drugs or disease, the weakened virus or bacteria can behave like a wild-type pathogen, expanding uncontrollably and causing clinical disease.
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