Immunity Flashcards
goal of the immune system
prevent foreign substances from entering the body
establish immunity or resistance to disease-causing agents through the immune response
help maintain the body in a healthy state
immune system triggers
antigen
haptens
major histocompatibility complexes (MHC)
antigens
triggers the immune response
large-molecular substances
proteins and polysaccharides
examples of antigens
chemicals
food proteins
products of microbes
microbes themselves
abnormal human tissue cells
donor tissue cells
persons own normal tissue cells
haptens
smaller-molecular weight substances that can only exhibit antigenic properties when combined with a larger human protein from the skin, blood or other tissue
examples of haptens
plant oils
medications
metals
major histocompatibility complexes
molecules of the surface of the cell used for coding the cell so that the body can recognize its own cells from others
changes by viruses will cause the MHC to become antigenic resulting in destruction of the cell
nonspecific immunity
called innate or natural immunity, provides generic defenses to protect the body and is made up of defense mechanisms that require no previous exposure to the agent to accomplish the goal of neutralizing it
examples of nonspecific immunity are
physical barriers
chemical barriers
nonspecific phagocytosis
indigenous microbes
inflammatory response
clotting system
complement and kinin systems
waldeyer ring
strategically placed mucosa-associated lymph tissues that detect and remove injurious substances before they compromise the defensive barrier
comprised of:
pharyngeal tonsils
palatine tonsils
lingual tonsils
specific immunity
called acquired immunity
works in conjunction with inflammatory, healing, and repair process in response to specific threats
acts against previously encountered agents with antibodies and activated lymphocytes that are specific for that agent
immune system response
organs associated with the immune system
bone marrow: produces cells of immune system from precursor stem cells, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes
thymus: T cells go to Thymus to mature, self-tolerant, can recognize the hosts own cells as self
spleen: filters and removes old and damaged red blood cells from general circulation, will mount an immune response against any foreign substance presented to it via the same circulating blood
lymphatic vessels and nodes: initiate immune response, process some of the immune system cells, remove foreign substances from host through system of vessels and nodes placed throughout the body
mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue: detect and remove injurious substances before they compromise defensive lymph barrier, gastrointestinal, respiratory and genitourinary tracts
cellular and chemical components associated with the immune system
macrophages: related to inflammatory process, integral to both inflammatory and immune processes
B lymphocytes: most active in humoral immunity
T lymphocytes: most active in cell-mediated immunity, necessary for optimal functioning of humoral immunity
cytokines: interleukin 1, interleukin 2, tumor necrosis factor, interferon
goal of immune response
remove or neutralize antigenic substance
must recognize, react to, and remember the invader
humoral (outside of cell) and cell mediated (inside of cell)
humoral immunity
-provided by B cells
-targets extracellular pathogens and toxins
-B cells develop in bone marrow and mature in lymphoid tissue
-maturation ensures that surface contains antibody
-antigen binding fragment is part of antibody that binds with/to an antigen that it is suited for
-B cell becomes activated when the antigen binding agent comes in contact with the antigen it can bind to AND
-when a T Helper Cell binds to the B cell
-end product of activation is a transformation of the B cell to a lymphocyte known as a Plasma Cell
why do B and T cells need to function together
to form plasma cell that created antibodies
primary immune response
how long do plasma cells live for
only a few days
primary immune response
process of B cell activation also stimulates
the plasma cell to divide and become more numerous
stimulates marrow to make more B cells that can become plasma cells upon activation
primary immune response
primary immune response
slow production of antibodies at initial exposure
host showing signs/symptoms
memory B cell is created
secondary immune response
when memory cells come into contact with recognized antigen
memory B cells attack antigens
antibody actions against antigens
neutralize bacterial toxins
bind with viruses to prevent entrance into cells
cause the agglutination of antigens to facilitate phagocytosis
bind to the surfaces of the antigen to aid in phagocytosis
bind with an antigen to activate the complement system