1 - Intro Flashcards
What is the main function of the immune system?
Host protection
What is the goal of every immune response?
Eliminate or neutralize threat and secure host survival.
What is the goal of the immune system during infections?
Eradicate (or at least control) the foreign invader.
The immune system is composed of…
Tissues, cells, molecules, and processes.
Which veterinarian was a Nobel prize winner?
Peter Doherty
What was the goal of the first vet school?
Conservation of humanity
Who opened the first vet school?
Claude Bourgelat
What are the steps in a typical immune response?
- Immune surveillance
- Detection of threat
- Initiation of inflammation
- Innate immune system effector mechanisms
- Stimulation of adaptive immune effector mechanisms
- Lymphocyte clonal expansion
- Adaptive immune effector mechanisms
- Immunologic memory
Eradication of threat
What are the two arms of the vertebrate immune system?
- Innate
- Adaptive
What is the first line of defense?
Innate immune system
The innate immune system relies on…
Highly conserved receptor proteins that recognize conserved microbial/danger molecules (molecules present on many pathogens)
What happens when the innate immune system is activated?
The cells release cytokines which lead to inflammatory mechanisms.
What are the “professional phagocytes” of the innate immune system?
- Macrophages
- Neutrophils
- Dendritic cells
- Natural killer cells
What is the lifespan difference between neutrophils and lymphocytes?
Neutrophils = Short lifespan
Lymphocytes = Longer lifespan, better for long-term response
List the immune cells in order of most to least abundant in the blood.
- Neutrophil (50-70%)
- Lymphocytes (20-40%)
- Monocyte (2-8%)
- Eosinophil (1-4%)
- Basophil (0-1%)
The adaptive immune system generates a response that is…
Antigen specific.
What is an antigen?
Any molecule that can result in an immune response, usually proteins.
How is the adaptive immune response highly diverse?
It is capable of distinguishing among millions of antigens/epitopes.