In immunology, an adjuvant is an agent that may stimulate the immune system and increase the response to a vaccine, without having any specific antigenic effect in itself. The word “adjuvant” comes from the Latin word adjuvare, meaning to help or aid. "An immunologic adjuvant is defined as any substance that acts to accelerate, prolong, or enhance antigen-specific immune responses when used in combination with specific vaccine antigens."
Adjuvants have been called the dirty little secret of vaccines in the scientific community, because much about how adjuvants work is a mystery. Known adjuvants include oils, aluminum salts, and virosomes.
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