Chapter 14 - Immunity and Infection Flashcards
Infections
Invasion of the body by a microorganism.
Pathogens
An organism that causes disease.
What is the body’s largest organ?
The Skin
Mucous Membrane
Line all body cavities and passages that are exposed to the external environment
Secrete mucus and contain cells designed to prevent unwanted organisms and particles from passing through or penetrating them.
These areas include the mouth, nostrils, eyelids, bronchioles, vagina, and other organs of the respirator, digestive, and urogenital tracts.
Cilia
Hairlike protrusions along the respiratory tract that sweep foreign matter up and out of the respiratory tract.
Particles not captured by the cilia are expelled by a cough
Immune System
The body’s collective system of defenses that includes surface barriers as well as the specialized cells, tissues, and organs that carry out the immune response.
The Immune System is made of two parts that can both recognize pathogenic microorganisms. These systems have to work together in order to completely eliminate any a pathogen.
Innate Immune System
The cells of this system are first to respond to pathogens. They recognize pathogens as “foreign” and kill them. They respond the same way no matter how many times a Pathogen invades.
The cells in this system are neutrophils, eosinophils, macrophages, natural killer cells, and dendritic cells.
Adaptive Immune System
The white blood cells of the adaptive immune system, called lymphocytes have the ability to both accelerate and to improve the effectiveness of their responses.
The main two types of lymphocytes are T cells and B cells
Neutrophils
white blood cells that ingest and destroy pathogens
Eosinophils
white blood cells that fight parasitic infections
Macrophages
scavenger cells that engulf and destroy bacteria and dying cells
Natural Killer Cells
directly destroy virus-infected cells and cells that have turned cancerous
Dendritic Cells
initiate the adaptive immune system response
Lymphocytes
A type of white blood cell that carries out important functions in the immune system.
The main two types of lymphocytes are T cells and B cells.
Antigens
A substance that triggers the immune response.
Antibodies
A specialized protein, produced by plasma cells, that can recognize specific antigens.
B cells
A type of lymphocyte that produces antibodies.
T cells
Cells responsible for cell-mediated adaptive immune reactions. Helper T cells activate macrophages and promote activation of B cells and killer T cells. Killer T cells kill cells infected with viruses, other intracellular pathogens, and tumor cells.
Pus
A collection of dead white blood cells and debris at the site of infection resulting from an encounter.
Stages of Immune Response
Phase 1:Recognition
Phase 2:Proliferation
Phase 3:Elimination
Phase 4:Slowdown
Recognition
Phase 1 of the Immune Response
Starts when a pathogen breaches the body’s physical and chemical barriers and arouse dendritic cells at site of entry
Dendritic cells surround that pathogen and migrate to nearby lymphoid tissue; B cells, which produce plasma cells to attack a specific type of invader, are activated
Proliferation
Phase 2 of The Stages of Immune Response
Activated helper and killer T cells multiply, amplifying the immune response to the pathogen
Helper T cells produce growth stimulants called cytokines that signal molecules that regulate immunity, inflammation, and production of blood cells and platelets. Which in turn aids in the activation and proliferation of killer T and B cells.
Elimination
Phase 3 of the Immune Response
The activated T and B cells then become either memory cells or effector cells.
Effector cells eliminate the pathogen. If the pathogen is a virus or an intracellular bacterium, then the killer T cells destroy body cells that are infected with that pathogen.
Activated B cells become memory B cells or antibody-producing plasma cells. The antibodies bind to extracellular pathogens (Those outside body cells) and mark them for destruction by macrophages and natural killer cells.
Slowdown
Phase 4 of the Immune Response
Regulatory T cells inhibit lymphocyte proliferation and induce lymphocyte death, causing the immune response to slow down.
In this process restores memory, T and B cells, which can initiate a rapid response if the same pathogen reappears.
Immunity
Resistance to infection.
Adaptive Immunity
Immunity to infection acquired by the activation of antigen-specific lymphocytes in response to infection or immunization. Adaptive immunity results in immunological memory.
The Lymphatic System
Made of a network of vessels that carry a clear fluid called lymph.
Includes the spleen and the lymph nodes.
The lyphatic vessels pick up excess fluid from body tissues. This fluid may contain microbes and dead or damaged body cells.
Macrophages, dendritic cells, and lymphocytes congregate in the lymph nodes.
If immune cells in a lymph node recognize an antigen, the adaptive immune response is triggered. Lymph nodes are actively involved in fighting an infection and may fill with cells and swell while doing so.
Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of the location of an infection for physicians.
Immunization
The process of conferring immunity to a pathogen by administering a vaccine to a person.
Vaccines
A preparation of killed or weakened microorganisms, inactivated toxins, or components of microorganisms that is administered to stimulate an immune response; a vaccine protects against future infection by the pathogen.
messenger RNA (mRNA) Vaccine
A preparation of genetic material that after injection spurs the body to produce parts of a virus and in turn antibodies that protect against it.
In the last century how much have vaccines extended the human lifespan?
30 years
Allergies
An immune response to normally innocuous foreign chemicals and proteins that is characterized by specific symptoms such as sneezing, rash, and swelling; also called hypersensitivity.
Allergen
A substance, such as pollen, that triggers an allergic reaction.
Histamine
A chemical released from cells in response to an allergen and responsible for dilation and increased permeability of blood vessels.
Asthma
A disease in which chronic inflammation and periodic constriction of the airways cause wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing.
Anaphylaxis
A severe systemic hypersensitive reaction to an allergen characterized by difficulty breathing, low blood pressure, heart arrhythmia, seizure, and sometimes death.
Incubation Period
The period when bacteria or viruses are actively multiplying inside the body’s cells; usually a period without symptoms of illness.
Chain of Infection
The process through which infectious diseases are transmitted from one person to another. New infections can be prevented by interfering with any step in the process.
1 - Pathogen
2 - Reservoir
3 - Portal of Exit
4 - Means of Transmission
5 - Portal of Entry
6 - New Host
First Stage of Chain of Infection
Pathogen - It begins with a pathogen.
Second Stage of Chain of Infection
Reservoir - Where the pathogen is before infection occurs
This reservoir can be a human, humans don’t have to have symptoms to be contagious.
Third Stage of Chain of Infection
Portal of exit - The way in which a pathogen exits the reservoir
Fourth Stage of Chain of Infection
Means of transmission - How the pathogen gets from the portal of exit of the reservoir to the portal of entry for the new host
Fifth Stage of Chain of Infection
Portal of Entry -The way in which the pathogen gets into the new host
Pathogens can enter through direct contact with or penetration of the skin or mucous membranes, inhalation, or ingestion.
Pathogens that enter into the skin or mucous membranes can cause local infection of the tissue, or they can get into the bloodstream or lymphatic system and cause a systematic infection
STIs usually enter through the mucous membranes lining the urethra (in males) or the cervix (in females)
Sixth Stage of Chain of Infection
The new host - Where the pathogen ends up at the end of the chain of infection.
In the new host, a variety of factors determine whether the pathogen will establish itself and cause infection
People with a stronger immune system or higher resistance to a specific pathogen are less likely to become ill than one with a weaker one.
If the conditions are right, the host can become a reservoir and start the chain of infection again.
Reservoir
A long-term host in which a pathogen typically lives.
Vectors
An insect, rodent, or other organism that carries and transmits a pathogen from one host to another.
Systemic Infection
An infection spread by the blood or lymphatic system to large portions of the body.
Epidemic
A rapidly spreading disease or health-related condition.
Pandemic
A widespread epidemic.
Endemic
Occurring regularly in a certain region
Bacterium
A microscopic single-celled organism with a cell wall (plural, bacteria). Bacteria may be helpful or harmful to humans.
Bacilli
rod-shaped bacteria
Cocci
Spherical bacteria