chap 6- glossary Flashcards
adaptive immune response
Adaptive Immune Response- an immune response directed against a specific antigen; it retains memory of that antigen so that on subsequent exposure to the same antigen, it responds with a secondary response.
allergen
Allergen- an antigen that is normally innocuous but can sometimes cause an over-reacti9on from the immune system known as an allergy.
allergy
Allergy- an immune response characterised by IgE production to an innocuous substance.
anaphylactic shock
Anaphylactic shock- a sever allergic reaction that causes widespread swelling, including of the face and neck, which can lead to difficulty breathing and a life-threatening reaction.
antibiotic
Antibiotic- a naturally or synthetically produced compound that is toxic to bacteria.
antigen
Antigen- a large molecule, usually a protein or polysaccharide, that generates an immune response.
apoptosis
Apoptosis- a programmed series of events that lead to cell death as a result of dismantling of the internal contents of the cells by various enzymes, including caspases.
bacteria
Bacteria- unicellular prokaryotes that can pathogenic and therefore carry disease.
bacterial capsule
Bacterial capsule- a polysaccharide layer surrounding some bacteria that makes them resistant to phagocytosis and thus more virulent.
cellular pathogen
Cellular pathogen- a disease-causing pathogen that is made up of one or more living cells such as bacteria or fungi.
chemokine
Chemokine- a type of cytokine that induces chemotaxis.
chemotaxis
Chemotaxis- the movement of an organism or a cell along a chemical concentration gradient either towards or away from a chemokine.
cilia
Cilia- slender hair-like structures projecting from a cell surface that beat against fluid.
companion plant
Companion plant- a plant that is grown with another plant because one species improves the growth of the other.
complement protein
Complement- a number of small proteins found in the blood that, when activated, promote chemotaxis, cell lysis and phagocytosis.
cytokine
Cytokine- a signalling molecule that coordinates inflammation and immune responses and that leukocytes use to communicate with one another; includes interleukins and interferons.
defensin
Defensin- a type of small antimicrobial peptide secreted by nearly all plants and animals.
degranulation
Degranulation- a cellular process in which the granules of neutrophils, mast cells, basophils or eosinophils are emptied into extracellular surroundings.
dendritic cell
Dendritic cell- a phagocyte with membranous extensions that engulf pathogens, process them and present them to other cells of the immune system.
desensitisation
Desensitisation- a treatment to make a person more tolerant to a substance to which they are allergic.
disease
Disease- any condition that interferes with how an organism, or any part of it, functions.
eosinophil
Eosinophil- a leukocyte that secretes powerful enzymes capable of rupturing multicellular organisms.
first line of defence
First line of defence- physical and chemical barriers that keep pathogens from entering the body of a living thing.
flagellum
Flagellum- a helical filament that rotates to give bacteria locomotion.
fungi
Fungi- a heterotrophic organism made up of one or many cells; has cell walls but is not a plant.
granulocyte
Granulocyte- a white blood cell that has granules in the cytoplasm.
histamine
Histamine- a chemical released by mast cells and basophils that increases blood flow and the permeability of capillaries.
host
Host- the organism in which a parasite lives.
immune system
Immune system- a complex network of cells, tissues and organs in the body that detect differences between self-molecules and foreign (non-self) organisms and mounts an immune response that results in the formation of memory lymphocytes.
immune tolerance
Immune tolerance- tolerance of the presence of an antigen by the immune system so it does not mount an immune response to the antigen.
infectious disease
Infectious disease- a disorder caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms, that can often be transmitted to other members of a population.
inflammation
Inflammation- an innate response to infection or damage that causes pain, swelling, heat and redness
innate immune response
Innate immune response- a response to a pathogen that is not specific to the antigen, only that it as been identified being non-self; the response does not generate antibodies or memory lymphocytes.
interferon
Interferon- a type of cytokine produced by the cells of the immune system in response to challenges by foreign agents such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and tumour cells.
keratin
Keratin- the tough, fibrous protein of the outer epidermis layer
leukocyte
Leukocyte- the general term for a white blood cell
lymphocyte
Lymphocyte- a type of leukocyte involved in adaptive immune response
lysis
Lysis- the process of a cell bursting
lysozyme
Lysozyme- an antibacterial enzyme found in tears, saliva and other body fluids.
macrophage
Macrophage- a large white blood cell that phagocytoses pathogens; originates as monocytes in circulation.
mast cell
Mast cell- a cell that is located in the tissues and releases granules containing histamines when activated.
microbiome
Microbiome- the bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in the gut plus their released metabolites and nucleic acids that exist in a specific environment.
microbiota
Microbiota- a community of microorganism, including fungi and bacteria, that live in or on another organism.
monocyte
Monocyte- a WBC that circulates in the blood and matures into a macrophage when it moves from the blood into the tissues.
mucous membrane
Mucous membrane- a mucus-secreting membrane that lines the respiratory, excretory and reproductive tracts
natural killer cell
Natural Killer Cell- a circulating leukocyte that kills body cells infected with a virus or transformed by cancer.
necrosis
Necrosis- cell death that results from tissue damage or infection when the plasma membrane is breached; results in inflammation
neutrophil
Neutrophil- a phagocytic leukocyte found in the blood and tissues.
non-cellular pathogen
Non-cellular pathogen- a disease-causing pathogen that is not made of living cells; for example, viruses and prions.
non-self antigen
Non-self antigen- a molecule that is not recognised by the immune system as being part of the organism itself.
non-specific response
Non-specific response- a response that is the same regardless of the type of antigen.
obligate parasite
Obligate parasite- a parasite that cannot complete its life cycle without a suitable host; without the host, the parasite cannot reproduce.
opsonisation
Opsonisation- the process in which a pathogen is coated with antibodies and/or complement and marked for phagocytosis.
pathogen
Pathogen- an organism foreign to the body and capable of causing disease.
phagocyte
Phagocyte- a cell that is capable of phagocytosis; includes macrophages, dendritic cells and neutrophils.
phagocytosis
Phagocytosis- a process by which phagocytes engulf a particle or cell.
phagolysosome
Phagolysosome- a membrane-bound vesicle formed from the fusion of a phagosome and lysosome.
phagosome
Phagosome- a membrane-bound vesicle formed around a particle during phagocytosis.
platelet
Platelet- a cell fragment found in the blood involved in blood clotting.
prion
Prion- an infectious protein that can cause other unaffected prion proteins in the brain to take the affected form, causing transmissible spongiform encephalopathies.
protist
Protist- a unicellular eukaryotic organism
second line of defense
Second line of defence- non-specific immune responses including fever and inflammation
secondary metabolite
Secondary metabolite- an organic compound produced by bacteria, fungi or plants; its role is to sustain functional and homeostatic health of cells within organs by assisting cells to excrete wastes and toxic substances.
self-antigen
Self-antigen- an antigen or a molecule that is a normal body component.
sensitisation
Sensitisation- initial exposure to an allergen resulting in an adaptive immune response that generates IgE.
sterile inflammation
Sterile inflammation- inflammation resulting from the detection of damage- or danger-associated molecular patterns released during tissue injury in the absence of infection.
transmitted
Transmitted- when an infection is passed from one person or organism to another.
vasodilation
Vasodilation- widening of blood vessels, particularly arterioles.
virus
Virus- an obligate intracellular pathogen that can use the host cells machinery to replicate itself; usually consists of a nucleic acid surrounded by a protein coat
