Human Defence System Flashcards
What is the general defence system
Skin
Hair in nose
Cilia in trachea
HCl in stomach
What is the immune system
The specific defence system of the body
What is a phagocyte
White blood cell that engulfs the pathogen whole and digests them
What is a lymphocyte ?
White blood cells that produce antibodies in response to foreign anti gens. The antibodies attach to the antigens and destroy them . They also produce anti toxins that counteract the toxins of the pathogen
How does vaccination produce immunity
A weakened pathogen is injected into the patients bloodstream.
Specific lymphocytes recognize the specific antigens. They 1] produce clones of themselves and 2] produce large amounts of the correct antibody.
After the pathogen has been eliminated the clones of the lymphocytes remain in the patients bloodstream as ‘memory lymphocytes’ and are prepared when the real pathogeon enters the body .
What is herd immunity
Vaccinating a large proportion of the population against a certain pathogen. This is to reduce the number of people getting the disease and avoid an outbreak
