Table 1.

Generalized qualitative comparisons of vaccine classifications. Please note that a few exceptions may contradict the generalized qualitative comparisons. Details on administration routes, advantages and disadvantages regarding production, immunogenicity, biosafety, transportation/storage, and examples of commercialized DNA- and amino acid-based vaccines for each vaccine classification are tabulated. The ‘+’ and ‘−’ denote general pros and cons.

	Live attenuated vaccines	Killed or Inactivated vaccines	Inactivated toxoid vaccines	Polysaccharide vaccines	Conjugate polysaccharide vaccines	Recombinant protein vaccines	DNA vaccines
Further Classification	Whole-cell vaccines	Whole-cell vaccines	–	Subunit vaccines	Subunit vaccines	Subunit vaccines	Subunit vaccines
Administration	i.e., Subcutaneous, percutaneous, oral, intranasal	i.e., Intramuscular, intradermal, subcutaneous	i.e., Intramuscular	i.e., Intramuscular, subcutaneous		i.e., Intramuscular	i.e., Intramuscular, Mucosal
Production	− Bacteria applications + Virus culture + Large-scale production − Biocontainment	+ Low-cost production + Large-scale production	− Toxin purification procedures − High-cost production	+ Bacterial capsule components − Biocontainment		− Protein folding − Protein degradation + Encapsulation	+ Molecular stability + Low-cost production + Encapsulation
Immunogenicity	+ Natural infection + Immunization efficiency + Single or few doses + Life-long protection	+ Natural infection − Multiple doses − Adjuvant use + Long-term protection	− Multiple doses − Adjuvant use	+ Molecular pathogen − Multiple doses − Adjuvant use	+ Stimulus by Conjugation − Multiple doses − Adjuvant use	+ Particle design − Multiple doses − Adjuvant use	+ Animal applications − Human applications + Particle design
Biosafety	− Risk of infection − Risk of reversion − Risk for the immuno-incompetent	+ Safer than LAVs	+ Fewer side effects (i.e., local and systemic)	+ No live pathogenic components + Fewer side effects			+ No live components + Fewer side effects − Autoimmune response − Integration to genome − Indel mutations
Storage and Transportation	− Cold chain delivery	− Cold chain delivery	+ Less need for cold chain delivery	+ Less need for cold chain delivery	+ Less need for cold chain delivery	+ Less need for cold chain delivery	+ Less need for cold chain delivery
Licensed vaccines (trade names)	M-M-R II, OPV, FluMist, Rotarix, ProQuad, Adenovirus, Zostavax	Pediarix, Ipol, BioThrax, Infanrix, Daptacel, Gardasil, Cervarix, Flublok	Decavac, Tenivac	Menomune, Pneumovax 23	PedvaxHIB, Hiberix, Comvax, Prevnar 13	Engerix-B, Recombivax HB	–