4.1.1: Communicable diseases Flashcards
Antibody
Y shaped glycoprotein made by B cells of immune system in response to the presence of an antigen.
Antigen
Identifying chemical on the surface of a cell that triggers an immune response.
Antigen-presenting cell (APC)
Cell that displays foreign antigens complexed with MHCs on their surfaces.
Antitoxin
Chemicals (antibodies) that bind to toxins produced by the pathogen so they no longer have an effect.
B lymphocyte
Lymphocytes that mature in the bone marrow.
Cytokine
Cell signalling molecules produced by mast cells in damaged tissues, attracting phagocytes to the site of infection.
Immunoglobulin
Y shaped glycoproteins that form antibodies.
Macrophages
Form of phagocyte, made in the bone marrow, which travel in the blood as monocytes.
Memory cell
B and T lymphocytes that provide immunological memory.
Monocytes
Form in which macrophages travel in the blood.
Neutrophils
Most common form of phagocyte. Has a multilobed nucleus and is produced in the bone marrow.
Two main types of phagocyte
- Neutrophil
* Macrophage
Opsonin
Chemicals that bind to pathogens, tagging them so that phagocytes can recognise them more easily.
Phagocyte
Cell that engulfs a pathogen.
Phagocytosis
Process in which a phagocyte engulfs a pathogen.
Plasma cell
Type of B lymphocyte which releases antibodies into circulation.
Primary response
Production of antibodies the first time a pathogen is encountered.
Secondary response
Production of antibodies the second time a pathogen is encountered.
T helper cell
T lymphocytes with CD4 receptors on cell surface membrane which bind to antigens on APCs and produce interleukins.
T killer cell
T lymphocytes that destroy pathogens carrying a specific antigen using perforin; cytotoxic T cells.
T memory cell
T lymphocytes that form part of immunological memory.
T regulatory cell
T lymphocytes that suppress immune system, stopping the response after a pathogen has been destroyed, thereby preventing an autoimmune response.
Variable region
Region on an antibody which has a shape complementary to that of a specific antigen.
Histamine
Chemicals produced by mast cells in damaged tissues that make blood vessels dilate and their walls leaky.