|  | Vaccination | Allergen-Immunotherapy |
---|---|---|---|
Similarities | Clinical history | Over a century | Nearly a century |
 | Therapeutics contains adjuvants and preservatives? | Yes, often | Yes, often |
 | Synonyms: Medical and lay-public vernacular |    a) shots |    a) allergy shots |
 |  |    b) vaccines |    b)allergen vaccines |
 |  |    c) IMMUN ization |    c) IMMUN otherapy |
 | Administration | Injection, occasional oral | Injection, occasional oral |
 | Physiological target | Immune system | Immune system |
Differences | Category of prevention | Primary | Tertiary |
 | Active ingredient | Derivatives of infectious agent | Allergen mixture |
 | Physiological response | Induce immune response | Alter/modify immune response |
 | Length of treatment | Short, sometimes months | Lengthy, months to years |
 | Number of injections | Often single; may require 'boosters' | Multiple injections |
 | Tissue injected | Intra-muscular | Subcutaneous |
 | Risk of anaphylaxis | Extremely low | Low, but significant |
 | Treatment goal | Resistance/immunity to infection | Tolerance to allergen |