C3.2 - defence against disease Flashcards
conjugation
transfer of DNA from a doner to recipient bacterial cell by direct contact
opportunistic infection
infections that occur more often or more severely with people that have weakened immune systems
plasmid
small ring of DNA found in prokaryotic cells
pragmatic
a mindset that is realistic and is based on practical considerations
pathogen
a disease-causing organism
- viruses, bacteria, fungi and protists
how does the skin act as a primary defence against infection?
- physical and chemical barrier
- defends outer body surface
- never ciliated
- produces fatty acids and lactic acid to kill pathogens
- surface cells tend to be dead
- thick and strong
how does the mucous membrane act as a primary defence against infection?
- physical and chemical barrier
- sometimes ciliated to move mucus away
- defends tubes leading to the outside
- produces mucus to trap pathogens
- surface cells are alive
- thin and weak
what is the role of blood clotting?
prevents pathogen from entering the body through damage to the skin
what is the process of blood clotting?
- platelets detect skin or blood vessel damage
- platelets release clotting factors which start a chain or reactions (involving vitamins and proteins)
- prothrombin is activated to thrombin (protease)
- thrombin converts fibrinogen to fibrin
- fibrin fibres form a mesh network that traps platelets and erythrocytes
- clot forms and seals the wound
innate immune system
responds to broad categories of pathogen, identified as non-self
- doesn’t change during an organisms life
- involves phagocytes
adaptive immune system
- responds in a specific way to particular pathogens via antibody production
- builds up a memory to make immune response more effective
- involves a range of lymphocytes
leucocytes
white blood cells
phagocytes
white blood cells that engulf pathogens
lymphocytes
white blood cells that produce antibodies to provide adaptive immunity
- circulate in the blood and are contained in lymph nodes
- make a specific type of antibody to bind to a specific antigen
what are the 2 types of phagocytes?
neutraphils - destroys pathogens (innate immune system)
macrophages - pathogen detection and sends signals to the rest of the body (links innate and adaptive immune system)
what are the types of lymphocytes?
helper T cells - pathogen detection (adaptive immune system)
B cells:
plasma cells - antibody production (adaptive immune system)
memory cells - provide long term immunity (adaptive immune system)
what is the process of phagocytosis?
- phagocytes detect chemical signals released by pathogens
- phagocytes leave the blood and use amoeboid movement to move to the site of infection
- leave the blood by squeezing between capillary cells - phagocytes recognise pathogens by binding to them
- phagocytes engulf and ingest the pathogen by endocytosis
- enzymes in the phagocyte’s lysosomes digest the pathogen
what is the role, structure and location of antigens?
recognition molecules that trigger antibody production
- each pathogen has a specific antigen that allows it to be recognised by cell receptors
- located on outer surfaces
- glycoproteins or proteins
what is the impact of antigens on the surface of erythrocytes if transfused into a person with a different blood group?
- antigens may stimulate antibody production = cause clumping of the blood cells (agglutination)
how can the presence or absence of antigens determine our blood group?
A = A antigens
B = B antigens
AB = both A and B antigens
O = neither A or B antigens
Rhesus (Rh)
blood type involving Rh protein
+ = Rh antigens
- = no Rh antigens
what is needed for a blood transfusion to be successful?
must not receive a protein that they do not have already
A- = cannot receive B-
A- = cannot receive A+
AB+ = universal recipient
O- = universal doner
clonal selection
to identify which T lymphocytes and B lymphocytes are able to cause production of antibodies that will bind to a specific antigen
what is the process of antibody production?
- macrophages engulf the pathogen, digest it and present its antigen
- helper T cells are activated by binding to a specific antigen
- activated helper T cells activate the corresponding B cells only if it is directly binding to the antigen
- activated B cells repeatedly divide by mitosis to produce large numbers of clones
- B cells differentiate to form memory cells (provide immunity) and plasma cells (produce and secrete the same antibody)
- antibody production lasts for several days until all the antigens are destroyed
clonal expansion
to provide sufficient quantities of an antibody, activated B cells divide repeatedly by mitosis to produce a large number of clones