3-Infection and response Flashcards
What are pathogens?
Microorganisms that cause infectious disease
How can pathogens be spread?
By direct contact, air or water
What are toxins?
Poisins produced by bacteria to damage tissues and make us feel ill
What are monoclonal antibodies?
proteins that are antibodies produced from a single clone of cells to target particular cells or chemicals in the body
How are monoclonal antibodies produced?
- Mice lymphocytes stimulated to produce specific antibody
- Lymphocytes combined with tumour cells to form a hybridoma
-Hybridoma cells divide to produce a large number of cells that all produce the same antibodies - Antibodies collected and purified, which are monoclonal antibodies
What are the uses of monoclonal antibodies?
- Pregnancy tests
- Diagnosis of disease
- Measuring and monitoring
- Research
- Treating disease
How are monoclonal antibodies used in pregnancy tests?
- Bind to HCG made in early stages of pregnancy
- If present, produces colour change that signals positive result
How are monoclonal antibodies used for diagnosis of disease?
- Bind to specific antigens found on pathogens to make it easy for doctors to identify disease
How are monoclonal antibodies used for meauring and monitoring?
- Bind to substances in the blood to make them visible to doctors
How are monoclonal antibodies for research?
- Scientists produce monoclonal antibodies bind to flourescent dye
- That cause a build up of flourescent when binded to desired molecule
- To locate or identify specific molecules in cells or tissues
How are monoclonal antibodies used to treat disease?
- Monoclonal antibody binds to receptor site
- So growth simulating molecule can no longer bind to cancer cell
- So cancer cell stops dividing as no stimulus
What are the advantages of monoclonal antibodies?
- Only bind to specific diseased or damaged cells so do not harm normal body cells
- Could be used to treat wide range of conditions
- Could become cheaper than conventional drugs
- mouse-human hybrid cells can reduce side effects
What are the disadvantages of monoclonal antibodies?
- Expensive to develop
- Not yet as widely used or successful as hoped
- More side effects than expected
What is phagocytosis?
WBC engulfing pathogens
How do vaccines prevent disease?
- Small amounts of dead or inactive pathogen injected into the body
- Antigens in vaccine stimulate WBC’s to make antibodies
- Antibodies destroy antigens without you getting ill
- Your body remembers the antigen and can rapidly produce the right antibody to destroy it quickly before you become ill, making you immune to future infections
Give an example of two viral diseases in humans.
- Measles
- HIV
What are the symptoms of measles?
- fever
- red skin rash
How is measles spread?
- inhalation of droplets from coughs and sneezes
What are the symptoms of HIV like?
- flu like symptoms
How is HIV spread?
- sexual contact
- exchange of bodily fluid e.g blood