102 - Swollen Finger Flashcards
5 signs of acute inflammation
Redness Swelling Pain Heat Loss of function
3 components of the immune system
- External barriers
- Innate response
- Adaptive response
Role of external barriers in the immune system. Examples
Prevent pathogens entering body e.g. Skin, mucous membranes.
- Describe the innate immune response:
- How does it develop?
- Is it specific?
- How does it improve?
- How does it destroy pathogens
- Born with,
- Doesn’t change in response to pathogens so is fast.
- Non-antigen specific,
- Doesn’t improve after repeat exposure.
- Causes Inflammation resulting in phagocytosis and microbe killing
- Critical, immediate line of defence.
Describe the adaptive immune response:
- How does it develop?
- Is it specific?
- How does it improve?
- How does it destroy pathogens
- Antigen specific,
- Slower as needs to develop.
- Generates memory and responds quicker to subsequent infections.
Comparison of adaptive and innate immunity.
- Innate - rapid set response.
- Adaptive - Slower, antigen specific response.
- Integrated, both interact with each other.
- Finding more overlap. Innate no longer thought simple.
What is an abscess
Localised formation of pus
What is pus?
Living/dead leukocytes, bacteria and damaged cells.
Abscess formation - 4 stages
- Pathogen deposited in tissue.
- Blood vessels dilate - get more blood/leukocytes to site of infection.
- Pus formation - surrounding blood vessels clot to prevent spread.
- Pressure builds up - abscess expands in direction of least resistance and can erupt and discharge at body surface.
5 stages of response to infection
- Awareness - pathogen detected.
- Immediate response - Innate immune cells migrate to site of infection and activate.
- Delayed response - Adaptive immune cells migrate to site of infection.
- Destruction of pathogen
- Immunity - ongoing response to pathogen.
IgM
Secreted early in immune response
IgE
Involved in allergy and parasitic reactions
IgG
Can cross placenta
IgA
Secreted in breast milk and tears
What can trigger hypersensitivity reactions?
- ACID
- A - Allergic - bee sting
- C - Cytotoxic - Myasthenia gravis
- I - Immune complex - Rheumatoid arthritis
- D - Delayed - Contact dermatitis.
Hypersensitivity types 1-4
When do neutrophils appear?
In large numbers at the start of infection. First on scene.
When do eosinophils appear?
Parasitic infection
When do basophils appear
In inflammation - release histamine
What do B lymphocytes do?
Produce antibodies
What does penicillin act on?
Destruction of microbial cell wall
How does trimethoprim act?
Prevents folate synthesis
How do quinolones work?
Inhibit DNA gyrase - prevent DNA supercoiling
How does Rifampicin work?
Inhibits RNA polymerase. Both start with R
How do macrolides work?
Affect the microbial 50S subunit to prevent protein synthesis.
How do tetracyclines work?
Affect the microbial 30S subunit to prevent protein synthesis
What is the role of Interleukin-1 in the body
Pyrogen. Increases body temperature
How does the immune system recognise pathogens?
Recognition - molecules/receptors on immune system cells bind to molecular receptors on pathogen that are not present on self cells.
What are PRR’s?
Pattern Recognition Receptors - on cells of innate immune system that are able to recognise molecular patterns on pathogens that aren’t present on self-cells
What are PAMPS?
Pathogen associated recognition receptors. Molecules on pathogen that can be recognised by PRRs.
What are DAMPS?
Damage associated recognition proteins. Self patterns that PRRs can recognise. Are present only on damaged self cells that need to be removed.
How to treat autoimmune disorders
Normally easier to replace what is missing than fight back but not always possible. Need to suppress immune system either with generic treatments (usually chemical - steroids) or targeted treatments for specific molecules (usually proteins).
4 stages of phagocytosis.
Attachment of phagocyte to cell for destruction. Ingestion - membrane proteins engulph and take into phagocyte. Killing. Degradation - various enzymes responsible for breakdown.
How do neutrophils reach the site of infection?
Chemokine IL-8 is generated by inflammation and spreads out forming a concentration gradient that is closest at the centre of infection. Neutrophils can move along this to reach infection site.
Aims and 4 stages of the inflammatory response
Aims to recruit cells and soluble factors from blood to site of infection.
4 stages.
Vasodilation - increased blood flow increases supply of cells and soluble factors.
Activation of endothelial cells - become stickier for leukocyte adhesion.
Increased vascular permeability - Easier for cells/proteins to pass through blood vessels.
Chemotactic factors - Attract cells from blood into tissue.
What is systemic inflammation?
Acute inflammatory response - to eliminate pathogen, confined to one area. If not stopped then macrophage derived cytokines can build up in the blood and affect other organs.
What are opsonins?
Sugars that coat pathogens to promote removal by the immune system. 1 end binds pathogen, other binds phagocyte and stimulates phagocytosis.
What are interferons?
Cytokines that inhibit viral replication in infected cells. Can act within cell or can be secreted. Alert immune response to infection and amplify immune response.
Role of inflammation
Aims to remove pathogens before can proliferate and cause a problem. Helps transport effector cells to site of infection. Also involved in tissue repair.
What are RAMPS?
Resolution associated molecular patterns. Switch off inflammatory response. Chronic inflammation occurs if this fails.
How is inflammation initiated?
PRRs recognise PAMPs - initiate signal transduction pathways - pro-inflammatory gene expression - inflammation.
Chain of infection. What is it? Why important?
- Infectious organism
- Reservoir
- Means of exit
- Route of transmission
- Means of entry
- Susceptible host.
All needs to be in place for transmission. Break chain - break infection.
Outline the immune response
Damage/Pathogen invasion. Innate response - cytokines, phagocytes, antigen presenting cells. Adaptive response Resolution/death
What is autoimmunity?
Immune response against self. Tolerance fails. Common but can be life threatening. Generally multifactorial.
What is TNF-A
Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha.
Involved in regulation of immune cells. Endogenous pyrogen.
How did vancomycin resistance develop
Appears to be spontaneous. Possible major clinical implications.
Differences between bacteria and eukaryotes
Bacteria: Have a peptidoglycan cell wall No nucleus/nuclear membrane - chromosome free in cytoplasm No mitochondria
Classes of potential antimicrobial targets
Class I - Targets reactions producing ATP Class II - Targets pathways making small molecules Class III - Targets pathways converting small molecules into macromolecules.
Most important class of potential antimicrobial targets
Class III - Targets pathways converting small molecules into macromolecules.
Main ways antibiotics target microbes (4) Why do these target microbes specifically?
Target peptidoglycan synthesis - affects cell wall - no cell wall in eukaryotes. Target folate synthesis - stops DNA synthesis - humans get from diet and don’t synthesise. Target Protein synthesis - human/bacteria have diff ribosomes. Target Nucleic acid synthesis - bacterial nucleus is free in cytoplasm.