Allergy, Hypersensitivity and monoclonal antibodies Flashcards
What percentage of people having some kind of allergy?
30%
What ethnicity primarily has allergies?
Caucasian/western countries
What is the most common allergy among caucasians?
Hay fever/Seasonal rhinitis
What causes hay fever?
Pollen that gets onto mucosal surfaces (e.g. eyes, nose, throat and upper respiratory tract)
What are FcR? What do they allow?
Receptors on myeloid cells that bind fragment crystalline region (FC) from antibodies/immunoglobulin
Allow the myeloid cells to grab the bacteria that have bound antibody and engulf via phagocytosis
What antibody is involved in the allergic response?
IgE
Why does IgE stimulate the immune response?
It has a very high affinity for mast cells which triggers them to rupture and empty the cytotoxic contents of their cells
What is the main cytotoxic chemical released by mast cells during an allergic reaction? What symptoms does it cause?
Histamine
Causes the itching, swelling, mucosal excretions, smooth muscle and blood vessel constriction, platelet clot
What kind of sensitivity is an allergic reaction considered?
Immediate type (Type I) hypersensitivity
What are some common substance which cause an allergic reaction?
Pollen, dust, peanuts, bee venom
What is it about dust that causes an allergic reaction?
Dust mites live on your skin and eat dead skin cells (e.g. dust), however it is their faecal matter that causes the allergic reaction
What are two substances that are most commonly associated with anaphylaxis?
Peanuts and bee venom
What do mast cells normally do? What causes them to stimulate negative allergic reactions?
Protect against bacteria and parasites
Abnormal IgE responses
What kind are the cytotoxic substances that are contained within the mast cells?
Histamine, leukotrienes, prostaglandins, free radicals, substance P
What is the second most common site for allergic responses?
the skin
What are two common allergic response that occur onto skin? What causes them?
Urticaria/hives - release of histamine into the tissue from the mast cells in the skin
Oedema (swelling) - caused by leakage of fluid into the space between cells
What is an asthmatic allergic response? What can cause it?
Bronchial tubes thicken and inflame
Allergens or environmental triggers
What is the most serious consequence of allergy?
Anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock
What is anaphylactic shock? What makes it so severe?
It is when the oedema and swelling occurs a multiple anatomical sites that have not been exposed to the allergen
Swelling of internal organs such as guts and airways makes it life threatening
What is the treatment of anaphylaxis and anaphylactic shock?
Immediate injection of epinephrine/adrenalin
What is the pathway for developing an allergic reaction?
1 - B cells respond to a foreign body (e.g. allergen such as pollen) and take them to a lymph node
2 - CD4 helper T cells and cytokine interleukin 4 (IL4) drive a response which causes a B cell to develop into a plasma cell which produces IgE instead of IgG
How does IgE influence mast cells to create an allergic response?
Receptors on mast cells have very high affinity for IgE so they are coated with them and last the lifetime of the cell so next time the allergen the IgE are responsive to gets into the body, the mast cells are activated and release their cytotoxic contents causing an allergic response
What are the two types of CD4 cells that are involved in allergic response?
Th1 and Th2
What are the four classifications of hypersensitive? What are they caused by? What are their characteristics?
Type I - atopic allergy which is IgE mediated, immediate
Type II - Complement mediated, medium speed
Type III - Serum sickness caused by immune complexes, medium speed
type IV - CD4 T cells, Delayed type (DTH) slow response