Immunity Flashcards
Cells of the immune system:
- neutrophils
- basophils
- eosinophils
- monocytes
- lymphocytes
Neutrophils are…
phagocytes
Eosinophils destroy…
parasites
Basophils release…
- histamines
- leukotrienes
- prostaglandins
Monocytes are…
macrophages/phagocytes
Types of lymphocytes:
- B lymphocyte
- T lymphocyte
Why would there be an abundance of neutrophils?
bacterial infection
Why would there be an abundance of lymphocytes?
viral infection
Why would there be an abundance of eosinophils?
allergic response
Immune system provides…
resistance to disease
Immune system is made up of two intrinsic systems. What are they?
- innate (nonspecific)
- adaptive (specific)
Innate system are part of which lines of defense?
first and second lines of defense
First line of defense for innate system are…
external body membranes (physical barriers)
- skin
- mucosae
Second line of defense for innate system are…
- antimicrobial proteins
- phagocytes
- inhibit spread of invaders
- inflammation is most important
Adaptive system:
3rd line of defense
- attack specific foreign substances
What are the two categories of lymphoid categories?
- primary: sites where stem cells divide and develop
- secondary: sites where most immune responses occur
What are lymphoid organs?
places where immune cells hang out
Examples of primary lymphoid organs:
- bone marrow
- thymus
Function of bone marrow:
produces mature B cells and immature T cells
Thymus is a primary lymphoid organ because…
- where T cells mature
- has T cells, scattered dendritic cells, epithelial cells, and macrophages
Thymus:
- located above heart
- atrophies after maturity
Examples of secondary lymphoid organs:
- lymph nodes
- spleen
- lymphoid nodules
Function of lymph nodes:
- filter microbes
- macrophages and lymphocytes destroy filtered microbes
Where are lymph nodes located?
scattered throughout lymphatic vessels of body
Function of spleen:
removes microbes and aged/defective erythrocytes
The spleen is the largest…
lymphoid organ
Examples of lymphoid nodules:
- tonsils
- peyer’s patches
- appendix
Innate immunity is the ability of the body to defend itself against…
microbes and other foreign substances without specific recognition of invading pathogens
Innate immunity: function of skin in 1st line defense
- water resistant
- prevents entry of foreign substances
Innate immunity: examples of other physical barriers than skin for 1st line of defense
- mucus
- hair
- cilia
- sebum
- lysozyme
- gastric juice
- vaginal secretions
2nd line of defense for innate immunity comes into play when…
first line is not effective
Innate immunity (2nd line): function of antimicrobial substances
discourage microbial growth via interferons, complement, iron-binding proteins, or antimicrobial proteins
- attack microorganisms directly or hinder its ability to reproduce
Innate immunity (2nd line): function of natural killer cells
release chemicals that lead to death of infected or abnormal body cells
Innate immunity (2nd line): function of phagocytes
- neutrophils and macrophages non-specifically engulf microbial invaders
Innate immunity (2nd line): steps of phagocytosis
- adherence: recognition and attachment
- ingestion
- digestion via fusion w/ lysosome
- killing and degradation via O2 radicals
Innate immunity (2nd line): inflammatory response
- nonspecific response to tissue damage
- rids body of organisms that caused tissue damage and damaged tissues
- promotes wound healing
Causes of inflammation:
- trauma
- chemical agents
- thermal extremes
- pathogenic organisms
What is the most abundant phagocyte?
neutrophils
Neutrophils are aided by…
opsonization: antibodies/complement proteins as opsonin that coat pathogens and make them easier to phagocytose
Macrophages develop from…
monocytes and are the chief phagocytic cells
Free macrophages:
wander through tissue spaces
- ex: alveolar macrophages
Fixed macrophages:
permanent residents of some organs
- ex: stellate macrophages (liver) or microglia (brain)
Helper T cells trigger macrophage to…
produce respiratory burst, which kills pathogens resistant to lysosomal enzymes by releasing free radicals, producing oxidizing chemicals, and increasing pH and osmolarity of phagolysosome
Symptoms and signs of inflammation:
- fever (pyrogenesis)
- redness (rubor)
- swelling (turgor)
- pain (dolor)
- tissue/organ dysfunction (functio laesa)
Sequence of inflammatory events:
- trauma or pathogen leads to acute inflammatory response
- platelet adhesion and vasoconstriction of efferent vessels
- cytokine induced afferent vascular dilation
- activation of complement, clotting, fibrinolysis, kinin system, leukocyte adhesion cascade
- endothelial gaps
Cytokine induced afferent vascular dilation leads to…
increased blood flow to infected/damaged area
Endothelial gaps increase…
vascular permeability and allow extravasation of serum proteins and leukocytes
Natural killer cells are…
- nonphagocytic
- large granular lymphocytes
- part of 1st line of defense
Function of natural killer cells:
- police blood and lymph
- kill cancer and virus-infected cells before adaptive immunity is activated
- attack cells that lack “self” receptors
- secrete potent chemicals that enhance inflammatory response
Natural killer cells kill by inducing…
apoptosis in cancer cells and virus-infected cells
Benefits of inflammation:
- prevents spread of damaging agents
- disposes of cell debris and pathogens
- alerts adaptive immunity
- sets stage for repair
During inflammatory chemical releases, macrophages have…
special pattern recognition receptors called toll-like receptors (TLRs), which trigger release of cytokines that promote inflammation
Kinins, prostaglandins (PGs), and complement:
- causes vasodilation of local arterioles
- make capillaries leaky
- attract leukocytes to area
- trigger pain receptors
- prompting release of more inflammatory chemicals
Vasodilation and increased vascular permeability leads to…
- hyperemia
- redness
- heat
Benefits of edema:
- sweeps foreign material into lymphatic vessels for processing in lymph nodes
- delivers clotting proteins and complement to area
Basics of acute inflammation:
- vasodilation
- increased flow to damaged area
- repair
Acute inflammation: effects of vasodilation
- increased vascular permeability and edema
- allows more blood flow to site
- causes loss of plasma proteins
- permeability changes caused by histamine and kinins
Acute inflammation: increased flow to area increases…
emigration: WBC population goes to damaged site to deal with what is causing response
Acute inflammation: increased flow to area occurs via…
chemotaxis: chemically stimulated movement of phagocytes
- chemoattractants: chemicals that attract phagocytes
Acute inflammation: phagocytes move across capillary wall via…
diapedesis
Acute inflammation: repair occurs once infection has…
been contained or cleared
- can leave scar tissue (collagen fibers more densely arranged)
Clinical presentations of infection:
- pus
- abscess
- tumorlike growth
Pus looks like…
creamy yellow mixture of dead neutrophils, tissue/cells, and living/dead pathogens
Abscess are…
collagen fibers that are laid down, which walls off sac of pus
- might need to be surgically drained
Tumorlike growth (granulomas) occurs b/c of…
bacteria’s ability to resist to digestion by macrophages and stay alive
Most important antimicrobial proteins are…
- interferons
- complement proteins
Interferons are cells that are…
infected with viruses and can secrete IFNs that warn healthy neighboring cells
Chemical cascade includes…
eicosanoids, such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes
What is a complement system?
group of 20 blood proteins that circulate blood in inactive form