Immune System Flashcards
What is the primary function of the immune system?
What are the 2 parts of the immune system?
Responsible for acting as a line of defense against pathogens that enter the body. It both keeps pathogens out and destroys any pathogens that get into the body.
1) Innate Immune System- use nonspecific defenses to prevent diseases (release chemicals to stop spread of pathogens)
2) Adaptive Immune System- targets specific pathogens to destroy (cells specifically attack pathogens)
What is the body’s first line of defense against fighting disease/pathogens?
Physically barriers pathogens (skin)
Cilia, Tears, Mucus, and Saliva trap pathogens via mouth, eyes, and nose.
What are 4 types of Innate Immune system responses?
1) Inflammation- when body tissue is damaged, the body releases histamines that raise temperature and increase blood flow to an area to stimulate white blood cells for repair.
2) Antimicrobial Peptides- destroy bacteria by interfering with the functions of their membranes or DNA.
3) Interferon- causes cells to increase their defense
4) Fever- occurs when pathogens enter and affect the body in multiple locations. Low to moderate fevers are beneficial in killing bacteria
What is the Adaptive Immune System response?
Specifically targets pathogens and attacks them based on the Antigens of the cell.
Antigens are the substances that exist on the surface of pathogenic cells that immune system doesn’t recognize. This triggers the Immune Response.
Describe the Immune Response.
Lymphocytes (white blood cells) alert T-Cells that an antigen has been detected.
T-Cells rapidly divide and form Helper T-Cells or B-Cells
-Helper T-Cells stimulate Cytotoxic T-Cells to actively destroy the infected cells by binding to their surface via Cell-Mediated Response)
-B-Cells trigger an Antibody-Mediated Response which has Plasma Cells produce Antibodies (proteins that bind to an antigen to neutralize it and allow phagocytes to ingest the structure). Memory cells then store the information for producing the antibody in order to repeat should pathogen enter the body again. AKA IMMUNITY)
Cell-Mediated Response vs. Antibody- Mediated Response
1) Cell-Mediated Response- when Helper T-Cells stimulate Cytotoxic T-Cells that bind to pathogen cells to destroy them.
1) Antibody-Mediated Response- when B-Cells trigger Plasma Cells to produce antibodies that bind to an antigen to neutralize and digest the cell. Memory cells then store the information needed to repeat and intern build Immunity.
What are the underlying mechanisms to vaccines?
B-Cells
Vaccines introduce a harmless version of a pathogen into the body to activate the body’s adaptive immune response and therefore build immunity.
Where are white blood cells produced and what systems do they travel through?
1) Produced by the endocrine system
2) Transported through the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems.
What are the 3 Types of White Blood Cells?
Granlocytes
Lymphocytes
Monotye
What are the 3 types of Granlocytes? Innnate or Adaptive Response? Prevelance?
(NEB)
1) Neutrophil- first responders that quickly migrate to site of infections. INNATE- COMMON
2) Eosinophil- attack multicellular parasite- INNATE- RARE
3) Basophil- large cells responsible for inflammatory reactions (allergies) INNATE- RARE
What are the 3 types of Lymphocytes?
1) B-Cells- respond to antigens by releasing antibodies- ADAPTIVE- COMMON
2) T-Cells- respond to antigens by destroying infected cells- ADAPTIVE- COMMON
3) Natural killer cells- destroy virus- infected cells & tumor cells- INNATE & ADAPTIVE- COMMON
What is a Monocyte?
AKA Macrophage- engulfs & destroys microbes, foreign substances, and cancer cells. INNATE & ADAPTIVE- RARE
