4. Immunology Flashcards
What is an immunological danger?
stimulus that induces cellular damage or distress
Defences
Mucus, cilia, defensins and barrier surfaces
What are pattern recognition receptors?
They sense and identify immunological danger (e.g. specific bacteria, proteins derived from protozoa or foreign DNA)
Where are pattern recognition receptors found?
On cells and in cells
Lymphatic system
How many red blood cells are in the blood?
5-6 x10^6 / ul
How often are red blood cells produced?
around 2 x10^6 / s
What is the lifespan of a red blood cells
around 110 days
What is the role of red blood cells
Transport of O2 and CO2
What is the innate immune response?
Give examples of active phagocytic cells
Neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells
What is a complement?
Once activated by an antibody or molecules from a pathogen… A cascade of proteins in serum which amplify the inflammatory response by attracting immune cells or directly killing pathogens.
What are neutrophils?
Active phagocytic cells that consume and kill pathogens and use NETs after being recruited by inflammation into tissues. They are the most abumndant white blood cell but are short lived.
What are macrophages?
Active phagocytic cells that consume and kill pathogens after being activated by inflammation. They are long lived and develop in tissues from precursors. (already present)
What are dendritic cells?
Active phagocytic cells that migrate out of peripheral tissues to the lymph nodes, carrying proteins to activate adaptive immune responses. They develop in tissues, from precursors.
What is the adaptive immune response
Which cells are adaptive immune cells?
B cells, T cells (CD4 and CD8)
How do adaptive immune cells specifically recognise pathogens?
What is the difference between CD4 T cells and CD8 T cells
What is the structure on pathogens that adaptive immune cells recognise?
What is variolation?
Deliberate exposure to controlled amount of an infectious agent to induce infection and immunity (premunition) via inoculation
What did Lady Mary Wortley Montagu do?
What did Edward Jenner do?
What was significant about Edward Jenner experiment?
He used a scientific method of: observation, hypothesis, experiment, results. He then published his results.
What did Louis Pasteur do?
Attenuated vaccines against cholera, plague bacteria, anthrax using culture methods. He killed vaccines against rabies virus.
What is attenuation?
Methods to prepare weakened versions of infectious agents
What problems are associated with producing vaccines of intracellular pathogens
How to grow large amounts of pathogen, how to attenuate (weaken) the pathogen, how to test efficacy of vaccine
How did Louis Pasteur use a scientific method?
He used animal models of infection to test efficacy of vaccines
What are three approaches to producing vaccines?
Attenuation (find weakened pathogen, e.g. cowpox, or make weakened pathogen, e.g. use culture methods)
Kill the pathogen
Subunit - kill the pathogen and isolate its protective antigen (toxoids)
How do you make killed vaccines?
How do you make subunit vaccines?
Give examples of routine UK immunisations of live, attenuated vaccines
Give examples of routine UK immunisations of killed vaccines
Give examples of routine UK immunisations of subunit vaccines
Give examples of routine UK immunisations of subunit (conjugate) vaccines
