Equine Immunology Exam 1 Flashcards
Exam 1
What is the immune system used for?
fighting off infections
The immune system is a _________ system that is very _______ tuned
complicated; fine
What are the physical barriers of the immune system?
skin and mucous membranes
What is the largest organ in the body?
skin
What does an invasion/infection have to pass through first?
the physical barriers
What is the order of events when an infection enters the body?
- must pass through the physical barriers
- innate immunity
- inflammation
- adaptive immunity
Pathogens
disease causing organisms (bacteria, virus, fungus, worms, etc.)
What are the topics of barriers of the immune system?
-mechanical
-chemical
-reflexes
What are the innate topics of the immune system?
-phagocytosis
-protective proteins-cytokines
-fever
-NK cells
-inflammation
What are the adaptive topics of the immune system?
-cell-mediated
-humoral
Immunity
a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion
Natural acquired immunity
infection
-the body developed antibodies after having a disease
Artificial acquired immunity
vaccination
-the vaccination builds the antibodies (sometimes you get sick, sometimes you do not)
Passive acquired immunity
colostrum/plasma/anti-serum
-foals must nurse colostrum to get antibodies from the mare
Antigen
any substance capable of generating an immune response
-proteins or parts of bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms
-can also be “self-antigens” (some people have more than others)
Self-tolerance
the capability of the body to tolerate itself
-auto-immune disease occur when self-tolerance is lost or low
Host
an organism that harbors a virus, bacteria, or parasites
Antibody-protein
produced by blood cells of the host to bind to antigen
Leukocytes
cells of the immune system, also called white blood cells
Mechanical barriers
-epidermis
-goblet cells
-saliva
-coughing, sneezing
-flushing action of urine/tears
-cilia (lungs, intestines)
Epidermis
skin-continuous layer of tightly packed sheets (the wall between the outside and inside)
Goblet cells
specialized epithelial cells in the GI tract that produce mucus, preventing microbes from gaining access to the body (in the GI tract)
Saliva
dilutes microbes
Coughing, sneezing
mechanically expels pathogens from respiratory tract (less stays in)
Flushing action of urine/tears
expels pathogens
Cilia
in the lungs and intestines, movement of mucus removes microorganisms
Chemical barriers
-sebum
-skin acidity
-the B-defensins (lysozymes, etc.)
-gastric juice
Sebum
produced by sebaceous glands (in skin and hair), can inhibit some microbe growth
Skin acidity
pH~5.4
-prevents a lot of microorganisms from surviving on the skin
B-defensins (lysozymes)
enzymes in sweat, saliva, tears, and breast milk that break down bacteria cell walls
Gastric juice
pH~1.3-3.0
-produced by stomach glands, destroys most (not all) bacteria and viruses
Commensal microflora
urinary and gastrointestinal tracts and skin serve as biological barriers by competing with pathogenic bacteria for food and space (no space for bad bacteris)
Innate immune response
-first line of defense
-built-in immunity to resist infection
-natural, native immunity
-present from birth
-not specific for any particular microbial substance
-not enhanced by second exposure
-has NO memory
Innate immune response function
-slows the growth of infection agents until the adaptive immune response kicks in
-must focus on the BROAD characteristics of microbes (microbes evolve rapidly)
-PAMPs
-activates the adaptive immune response
How long does it take for the body to create an immunity of a new disease?
minimum of 2 weeks
PAMPs
-pathogen-associated molecular patterns
-structural elements that are common to broad classes of microbes and are common to many different microbes
What do PAMPs bind to?
PRRs (pattern recognition receptors)
PRRs
pattern recognition receptors
-what PAMPs bind to
-on immune cells of the innate immune system
-phagocytes (neutrophils, macrophages, dendritic cells)
-phagocytosis
Phagocytosis
when cells engulf other cells
Recognition of microorganisms by phagocytes:
-many receptors on neutrophils and macrophages bind to microorganisms
-specialized recognition of classes of molecules and structures not present in or on self tissues
-selective specificity for microbial patterns