Immune system Flashcards
The immune system consists of what…
tissues, cells, and organs that fight off illness and disease
The immune system is composed of both ________ and _________ defenses.
innate, and adaptive
Innate defenses are _______.
nonspecific
Adaptive defenses are ________.
specific
What is a pathogen?
a foreign invader
Innate immune functions occur _____________.
the same way every time, regardless of the type or number of pathogens that are present
Innate defenses include both ____________.
a first and second line of defense
First line of defense includes…..
both physical and chemical barriers (skin, mucous membranes, and digestive enzymes)
Second line of defenses include….
fever, inflammation, phagocytosis, natural killer cells, interferons, chemotaxis, and release of cytokines.
What is phagocytosis?
engulfing of pathogens by white blood cells
Mild to moderate fevers benefit the body how?
by killing pathogens that grow better at a lower temperature
What are the four cardinal signs of inflammation?
redness, heat, swelling, and pain
What do natural killer cells do? Another name?
produce perforins that target cancer and virus cells, NK cells
What are perforins? What do they cause the cels to do?
pore forming protein, lyse
Lyse is another word for?
rupture
What are interferons?
the body’s response to a viral infection and prevent replication of the virus after 7 to 10 days. They also activate macrophages and NK cells
What is chemotaxis?
the method by which the leukocytes respond to damaged body tissues
What are cytokines?
chemical messengers that are released by damaged tissues.
What is diapedesis?
the process of white blood cells squeezing through capillary slits in response to cytokines
What do CAM’s do?
cellular adhesion molecules, guide the white blood cells to the site of damage or infection
Adaptive responses are ……
the third line of defense, or the specific defenses
Adaptive responses include…
both the humoral, or antibody mediated, and the cell mediated responses
In the antibody mediated branch…..
antibodies are produced that are specific for the invading antigen
What is a B cell?
types of lymphocytes or small leukocytes
In antibody mediated branch the antigen binds to…..
B cells followed by binding with T-helper cells, which activates the B cells to produce antibodies
In active immunity….
an individual receives a vaccine that stimulates an actual infection by a pathogen, stimulating the body to produce antibodies for future protection.
In passive immunity…
an individual does not produce his or her own antibodies, but rather receives them directly from another source, such as mother to infant thru breastmilk.
Once the immune system has produced antibodies against a pathogen…..
it is able to recognize that pathogen in the future and destroy it more effectively.
In cell mediated immunity….
T cells are primarily responsible for recognizing non self cells
What is a T cell…
a lymphocyte that triggers the action of other lymphocytes
What is the 3 step process of cell mediated immunity?
macrophages capture the non self cell, a T helper cell binds to it and secretes a cytokine that signals the cytotoxic T cell. The cytotoxic T cell responds through chemotaxis and actively destroys the non self cell.
