Immunity to Microbes/Mucosal Defenses Flashcards
mucosae
tissues continually bathed in a thick layer of mucus that they secrete
Gut associated lymphoid tissue
- lamina propria
- mesentric lymph nodes
- peyer’s patches
Functions of mucosal tissue
- gas exchange
- food absorption
- sensory activities
- reproduction
Mucosal surfaces are thin, permeable barriers to the interior of the body. These tissues are by nature vulnerable to subversioin and breach by pathogens.
Urogenital tract
- uterus
- bladder
- vagina
gastrointestinal tract
- oral cavity
- esophagus
- stomach
- pancreas
- intestine
respiratory tract
- sinus
- trachea
- lungs
intestines (# of lymphocytes)
50x10^9
lungs (# of lymphocytes)
30x10^9
75% of the body’s lymphocytes are in
secondary lymphoid organs serving mucosal surfaces
majority of all anitbodies made by the body
are dimeric or secretory IgA which localize to mucosal surfaces
GI tract of humans
continious contact with large numbers of commensal microbes
challenge to the mucosal immune system
eliminate pathogens while limiting growth of commensals and not attack our food
surface area of small intestine
200x that of the skin
Intestinal epithelial cells are covered by
two layers of mucus
inner mucosal layer
firmly adherent and works to seperate microbes from epithelial cell
outer mucosal layer
microbes are mostly associated with the outer layer. The outer layer is loosely adherent.
Overall thickness of mucosal layer
differs in the various sections of the gastrointestinal tract
mucosal layer in stomach
corpus
- protects the gastric mucosa from the pH of the stomach
Duodenum/Jejenum (small intestine)
very very thin layer of inner layer and outer layer, covering the villi
colon
large intestine,
thickest outer layer
which layer has the most microbes?
outer layer
secondary lymphoid tissues of the small intestine
- Peyer’s patches
- lamina propria
- isolated follicles
These all drain to the mesentric lymphnodes