How do inactivated vaccines primarily achieve their goal?

Inactivated vaccines achieve their goal primarily by chemically killing the pathogens that they are designed to protect against. This process allows the vaccine to safely introduce non-infectious forms of the pathogen into the immune system, enabling it to recognize and respond to the invader without the risk of causing disease.

When these inactivated antigens enter the body, they stimulate the immune response effectively, leading to the development of antibodies. This prepares the immune system to respond quickly and efficiently if the actual pathogen is encountered in the future, thereby providing immunity without the risk associated with the live pathogen.

In contrast, using live pathogens, such as in live attenuated vaccines, can pose a risk of disease because these pathogens are still capable of replication, potentially leading to infection. Options that mention animal plasma or mRNA technology refer to different approaches that do not align with the mechanism of inactivated vaccines. Therefore, the chemical inactivation of pathogens is the primary method by which inactivated vaccines achieve their immunological purpose.