case 4 - immunology of the gut Flashcards
what type of surface does the GI tract have
an undulating surface, which increases surface area for absorption and secretion
what is mucus secreted by
goblet cells
what does this mucus do
lubricant
Prevents mechanical stress on epithelium
Thick layer provided stable microenvironment
Prevents invasion
Essential environment for microflora
what helps to maintain the acidic environment in the stomach
the gastric glands and gastric pits
what is the protection of the gastric epithelium carried out by
mucus and secretion of neutralising bicarbonate by specialised epithelial cells
what does the mucus provide
a pH gradient - lumen pH is around 1-2 and the mucus pH is around 7
what is this pH gradient due to
the bicarbonate
what is the strongest known risk for gastric cancer
h pylori
what is the upper layer of mucus colonised by
bacteria
what does the absence of gut bacteria affect
behaviour
Gut homeostasis
Immune response under stress
Body weight
Brain development and gene expression
what is the clostridium difficile infection
a spore forming gram positive bacillus which is part of normal healthy flora in 4% of healthy indivudals
what does this infection lead to
pseudomembranous ulcerative colitis
what can it result in and what is the mortaility rate
can result in organ failure and the mortality rate it 35-80%
how does one fix this infection
infusion of donor faeces
how do we maintain a healthy microbiome
antimicrobial peptides
Alpha and beta defensins that are secreted by the paneth cells
there is good experimental evidence that gut bacteria actually stimulate secretion of antimicrobial peptides maintaining homeostasis
what is the specific antibody responsible for the primary defence against bacteria
IgA
what coats colitogenic bacteria with high affinity
SIgA
what do the paneth cells do to the crypt
keep it sterile
what happens in coeliac disease
the villi get smaller and no epithelium
what is in the sub epithelial layer
antigen specific responses
Macrophages and dendritic cells
T cells and innate lymphoid cells