Inactivated poliovirus (IPV)

Inactivated poliovirus refers specifically to strains of poliovirus (all three types: 1, 2, and 3) that have been rendered non-infectious by formalin inactivation. These antigens are used in injectable polio vaccines to induce protective immunity against poliomyelitis without the risk of vaccine-associated paralytic disease. The poliovirus is a small, non-enveloped RNA virus classified as an enterovirus in the Picornaviridae family. The inactivated virus retains antigenic structures needed to elicit strong immune responses, including the D-antigen, but cannot replicate or infect host cells. Inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV or Salk vaccine) produces serum antibodies that prevent the spread of the virus to the nervous system if exposed to wild poliovirus, effectively preventing the paralysis associated with poliomyelitis. IPV has become central to global polio eradication efforts, especially in countries where oral polio vaccines (OPV) are no longer used due to the risk of vaccine-derived strains

Other names

Salk vaccineInactivated polio vaccine (IPV)Formalin-inactivated poliovirus

As a vaccine antigen, inactivated poliovirus stimulates the immune system to produce neutralizing antibodies against all three serotypes of poliovirus (types 1, 2, and 3), preventing viral spread to the central nervous system and paralytic disease upon subsequent exposure to live poliovirus