Ch 8 Immunity Flashcards
natural immunity
Protection against a disease formed without medical intervention.
artificial immunity
Protection against a disease formed as a result of medical intervention. Also known as induced immunity.
active immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies and memory cells formed by a person’s own adaptive immune system.
passive immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies from an external source.
natural active immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies and memory cells produced by an individual’s own immune system without medical intervention. Also known as naturally acquired active immunity.
artificial active immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies and memory cells produced by an individual’s own immune system after medical intervention. Also known as artificially acquired active immunity.
natural passive immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies from an external non-medical source. Also known as naturally acquired passive immunity.
vaccine
A medical treatment typically containing antigens designed to stimulate a person’s adaptive immune system to create immunity to a pathogen without actually causing disease.
primary immune response
The reaction of the adaptive immune system to an antigen it has not previously been exposed to.
artificial passive immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies from an external medical source. Also known as artificially acquired passive immunity.
vaccination program
A series of vaccinations designed to create long-term immunity to a disease. Also known as a vaccination schedule.
secondary immune response
The heightened reaction of the adaptive immune system to an antigen it has previously been exposed to.
booster vaccine
A vaccination given to a person later in time after they have completed their initial vaccination program to enhance their existing immunity against a disease. Also known as a booster shot.
antivenom
A medical treatment containing antibodies specific to the toxins present in venomous bites or stings.
herd immunity
Protection against a disease conferred to non-immune individuals when a high percentage of a population is immune to the same disease. Herd immunity is often achieved through high rates of vaccination.
pathogen
An agent that causes disease.
non-infectious disease
An illness not caused by a pathogen.
infectious disease
An illness caused by a pathogen.
virulence
The potential of a pathogen or disease to cause serious illness or harm.
contagious disease
An illness caused by a pathogen that can be transmitted and spread between different people.
contagious
A property of a pathogen or disease meaning that it can be transmitted from one organism to another.
emerging disease
An infectious disease that is new to the human population, or that is rapidly increasing in incidence.
incidence
The frequency of a disease in a population.
re-emerging disease
An infectious disease that was previously under control but that is now increasing in incidence.
reservoir
A population of animals or environment in which a pathogen normally lives.
zoonosis
An infectious disease that is caused by a pathogen that has transferred from an animal to a human.
outbreak
A sudden and unexpected increase in the occurrence of a disease.
pandemic
An epidemic that has spread across multiple countries and/or continents.
epidemic
A dramatically increased occurrence of a disease in a particular community at a particular time.
endemic
When a disease occurs at a relatively constant baseline level in a population.
natural active immunity
Protection against a disease created by antibodies and memory cells produced by an individual’s own immune system without medical intervention. Also known as naturally acquired active immunity.
pathogen
An agent that causes disease.
contagious
A property of a pathogen or disease meaning that it can be transmitted from one organism to another.
virulence
The potential of a pathogen or disease to cause serious illness or harm.
outbreak
A sudden and unexpected increase in the occurrence of a disease.
epidemic
A dramatically increased occurrence of a disease in a particular community at a particular time.
pandemic
An epidemic that has spread across multiple countries and/or continents.
serology
The study of blood serum, typically to determine the presence of antibodies and/or antigens.
serum
The fluid and solute component of blood that excludes blood cells, platelets, and clotting factors.
host
An organism that harbours a pathogen.
enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
An experimental technique used to identify a pathogen by determining the presence of antigens or antibodies in a sample.
transmission
The passing of a pathogen from an infected host to another individual or group.
droplet transmission
The spread of pathogens through air and contaminated surfaces via respiratory droplets.
airborne transmission
The spread of pathogens through air via small particles (traditionally <5 μm).
respiratory droplets
Droplets (traditionally >5 μm) produced by breathing, talking, vomiting, and coughing. They may contain saliva, mucus, and other substances from the respiratory tract, including cells/particles of pathogens.
direct physical contact transmission
The spread of pathogens through contact between a host and another individual.
vertical transmission
Spread of pathogens from mother-to-child during gestation, during childbirth, or post-birth due to close physical contact and breastfeeding of a newborn.
iatrogenic
Describes a disease caused by medical intervention.
fomites
An inanimate object that, when contaminated with a pathogen, can transmit that pathogen to a new host.
indirect physical contact transmission
The spread of pathogens via contaminated objects or vectors.
vector
An organism that is not affected by a disease but spreads it between hosts.
antiseptic
A substance that is applied to living tissue to kill or slow the growth of microorganisms.
faecal-oral transmission
The spread of pathogens via oral consumption of contaminated faeces.
antibiotic
Medications used to kill bacteria or slow their growth.
disinfectant
A substance that is applied to non-living materials to kill or slow the growth of microorganisms.
antiviral
Medications used to treat viral infections.
fungicide
Medications used to treat fungal infections.
antimicrobial resistance
The ability of a microorganism to survive exposure to an antimicrobial agent.
immunotherapy
Medical interventions that treat disease by modulating the immune system, typically by either amplifying or reducing an immune response.
monoclonal antibodies (mAbs)
Identical laboratory-made antibodies produced by plasma cell clones.
chimeric
An organism or cell containing genetic material from another organism or cell.
cancer
A disease caused by the uncontrolled replication of cells with the ability to migrate to other parts of the body.
autoimmune disease
A disease in which an individual’s immune system initiates an immune response against their own cells.
B lymphocyte
A type of lymphocyte that plays an important role in humoral immunity and differentiates into plasma cells and B memory cells.
myeloma cells
Rapidly-dividing cancerous plasma cells which are fused with extracted B cells from mice to produce hybridomas.
hybridoma
The product of the fusion between a mouse’s extracted plasma cell and a myeloma cell.
naked monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies that do not have any other molecules attached to them.
conjugated monoclonal antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies with other molecules (e.g. chemotherapy drugs or radioisotopes) attached to them.
complement proteins
A number of different types of proteins found in the blood that opsonise, cause lysis, and attract phagocytes to invading pathogens.
membrane attack complex (MAC)
A pore formed by complement proteins in the cell membrane of a pathogen, disrupting the membrane and leading to the pathogen’s destruction.
apoptosis
The controlled death of cells in the body. Also known as programmed cell death.
autoantibodies
Antibodies directed against an organism’s own tissues.
autoreactive
A cell that recognises a self-tissue or self-antigen as non-self.
immunosuppression
A reduction in the ability of the immune system to generate an immune response.
immune deficiency
A state in which the immune system is no longer able to protect the body against infection or disease. Also known as immunodeficiency.
