Chapter 8 - Immunity Flashcards
What are pathogens?
Organisms that live on or in their host, and gain nutrients from that host.
What are infectious diseases caused by?
Pathogens
There are 2 types of pathogens. State them.
Ectoparasites: which attach themselves to the outside of the host. With the aid of specialised mouthparts, they penetrate the skin and feed on their hosts blood. Eg: bed bugs, ticks and fleas.
Endoparasites: live inside the host. Therefore they developed different ways of gaining nutrients from the host. In the human gut, blood vessels, muscles, lungs, etc. Very complex organisms & have adapted highly specialised features in order to life. Eg: tapeworm & viruses.
What can bacteria cause?
Meningitis, tuberculoid or diarrhoea
What can viruses cause?
Small pox, measles, influenza and hepatitis.
What can fungal cause?
Athletes foot.
What can protozoan cause?
Malaria and sleeping disease.
Many pathogens don’t harm us, due to barriers we have. What are these 2 barriers called?
Primary barriers: physical, chemical and cellular defences that prevent them from entering the body.
Secondary barriers: if they do enter, then there is a secondary line of defence. This type of defence is then divided into 2.
The secondary barrier, if further divided into 2. What are they?
Non Specific Immune Response: consisting of an inflammatory reaction against the disease. Phagocyctic white blood cells that digest microbes are released.
Specific Immune Response: is specific and relies in prior experiences and encounters with microbe. Specific substances are released to kill the microbe, which are called antigens.
How does intact skin function as a mechanical barrier?
It forms a physical barrier to the entrance of microbes.
What is the mucous membrane function, as a mechanical barrier?
Inhibits the entrance of many microbes, but not as effective as intact skin.
What is mucus’s function as a mechanical barrier ?
Traps microbes in respiratory and digestive tracts.
What are the hairs function, in terms of acting as a mechanical barrier?
They filter microbes and dust in the nose.
What are the cilia’s function, as a mechanical barrier?
Together with mucus, trap and remove microbes and dust from upper respiratory tract.
How do gastric juice act as a chemical barrier?
Destroy bacteria and most toxins in stomach.
How does the acid pH of skin act as a chemical barrier?
Discourages growth of many microbes.
What is a non-specific immune response?
It is present from birth, since a newborns immunity is not yet active. However the baby does receive some antibodies from the mother (passive immunity). At 18 months it develops it’s own active Immunity.
Quick response system effective against a verity of pathogens & foreign substances. Can be divided into 4 subclasses:
Inflammation, phagocytosis, natural killer cells & fever.
What is inflammation? (Non-Specific)
A local response to tissue damage. Which can be due to microbial invasion, cuts and other physical damage. Can also be caused by irritating corrosive chemicals.
How does inflammation work exactly?
Damaged cells in the dermis release the hormone histasine into the wounded area. It also releases other chemicals called prostaglandins. Histasine & prostaglandins induce the arterioles to vasodilate, thus increasing the blood flow towards damaged area. Also increase the permeability of the capillaries.
Oozing out of blood prevents further entry of microbes & transports platelets and plasma proteins towards the cut to heal the wound. Blood starts to cloth.
This increase in permeability and large amount of blow flow results in swelling, redness and increase in temperature of the damaged area. All this can lead to pain. It is also needed to let white blood cells squeeze through the pores. They will engulf microbes & digest them.
Macrophages are attracted to the injury area by chemicals released by the damaged cells and the microbes themselves.
What is pus?
The material that oozes out and collects around the heal and consists of microbes, tissue dermis & white blood cells that are both living and dead.
What is phagocytosis? (Non-Specific)
The process of engulfing and ingestion of particles by the cell or a phagocyte.
What are neutrophils?
The first white blood cells to arrive on site. They are able to squeeze through the capillary walls and move out in the tissue spaces.
What are macrophages?
They patrol in tissues and can found in liver, spleen and lymph nodes. They develop from monocytes.
On digestion by the macrophages some breakdown products are presented on the membrane of white blood cells to stimulate the action of the lymphocytes.
What are natural killer cells? (Non-Specific)
Are a type of cytotoxic lymphocytes that constitute a major component of the innate immune system.
NK play a mayor role in the rejection of tumours & cells infected by viruses. The cells kill by releasing small cytoplasmic granules of protein called perforin & granzyme that cause the target cells to die by apoptosis.
What is fever? (Non-Specific)
It’s also known as controlled hyperthermia. It’s a common medical sign characterised by an elevation of temperature above the normal range of 36.5 - 37.5 due to an increase in the body temperature regulatory set point.
This increase in set point triggers increased muscle tone and shivering.
What happens when you have a fever?
As a person’s temperature increases, there is, in general, a feeling of cold despite an increasing body temperature. Once the new temperature is reached, there is a feeling of warmth.
A fever is one of the body’s immune system response that attempt to neutralise a bacterial or viral infection, this increase in body temperature lowers the reproductive ability of microbes and gives time for the body to combat the infestation. The infected cells relapse a chemical known as interferon, that travel along the body to other cells to help them increase their resistance against viral attack.
What is a specific immune response?
When a particular antigen passes the body’s passive defences.
It involves cells and proteins within the blood and lymph that attach, disarm, destroy and remove foreign bodies.
It gives a highly effective, long lasting immunity against anything the body recognises as foreign. It respond to specific micro organisms and enhances the activity of the non-specific system.
There are 2 types of lymphocytes. Name them.
B cells and T cells.
How are white blood cells made?
They arise from pre-existing cells in the bone marrow.