Immune System

Question 1

Pathogen

Answer 1

• An infectious disease-causing agent; including bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites and prions
• If a pathogen is introduced to the body and makes its way past physical defences like skin and mucus and starts to infect, then the immune system takes note and prepares to fight back.

Question 2

Active Immunity

Answer 2

• Is a response to a substance that your body doesn’t recognize
• There are two types:
  
  • Innate immunity
    
    • generally responding to anything your body recognizes as not supposed to be there
    • Examples including, coughing at smoke, eye watering from dust or fumes, and even general groups of germs or parasites or bacteria will kick off an innate response
  • Adaptive immunity

Question 3

Macrophages

Answer 3

• Work as innate immunity cells
• Phagocytic cells that activate the inflammatory system
• They send an alarm if they notice anything in the body that doesn’t belong
• The macrophage alarm sends cytokine signals that recruit other macrophages and neutrophils and lymphocytes and so on.
• Basically those phagocytes are going to find the intruder that does not belong and engulf or eradicate the threat.

Question 4

Passive Immunity

Answer 4

• The body’s defences that are always on and always helping
• Your skin acts as the first layer defence, and protects your body

Question 5

Antigen

Answer 5

Any foreign body that elicits an immune response

Question 6

Antigen

Answer 6

• Any foreign body that elicits an immune response
• AntiGENS GENerate sickness
• Antigens have distinct molecular patterns or epitopes, such as specific protein region or surface carbohydrates, which is why each needs to be targeted by antibodies that bind to that one antigen

Question 7

Adaptive Immune System

Answer 7

• Includes B-cells and T-cells.
  
  • B cells are matured in bone marrow and produce special antibodies.
  • B cell antibodies can attach to specific antigens and either destroy them or enable immune cells to destroy them
  • Think of them as a seasoned detective, whos been tricked once by a particular band of intruders trying to get into the fortress. Now the detective has learned and if any one of the intruders shows up, the detective send a squad to take the intruders down
  • T-cells are matured in the thymus, and attack and kill the antigens directly, these are called killed T-cells, or activate B-cells to join the fight (these are helper T-cells)
• Both B-cells and T-cells are able to form a memory of antigens, after the first time the body is exposed to them
• This allows B-cells and T-cells to between respond and quickly eliminate antigens, even if the body is exposed again.

Question 8

Antibodies

Answer 8

• Come from out bodies to protect us
• Composed of heavy chains and light chains and have a binding sites to protect the body
• Five different antibody isotypes can be produced to protect the body, which all play a different role and are all produced by B-cells.
  
  • IgD is embedded in B-cells and helps cascade responses by activating basophils and mast cells
  • IgE is specialized to hunt parasites in the body
  • IgG is generally a neutralized and removes toxins
  • IgA (the diemar), is secreted along your GI tract to target potential GI pathogens and neutralize ingested threats.
    
    • Since this is one of the most likley ways a pathogen enters the body, it makes sense it would have twice as many sites to bind
  • IgM is produces early in the immune response and helps with antigen presentation and response
    
    • An IgM would be needed for a serious new pathogen that needs to be identified immediately, no matter what side of the antibody it touches