[Unspecific vaccination]

All vaccines have--besides their specific effect on the immune response--more or less pronounced side effects on the organism and particularly on the immune system. The latter effects deserve special interest, whenever they increase the host defence against infectious diseases. Desirable paraspecific effects of vaccines are the induction of interferon, the enhancement of phagocytic function and the activation of lysosomal enzymes. Some vaccines exert different effects: attenuated live measles vaccine induces interferon, pertussis vaccine activates lysosomal enzymes of macrophages. Some clinical observations illustrate how paraspecific effects of vaccines can be utilized for therapeutic purposes.