Immunology Flashcards
What type of vaccine is HPV vaccine?
Recombinant (uses virus-like particles)
Protects against 9 types of HPV: 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52 and 58.
MMR vaccine type
Live attenuated
Which complement is common to all pathways?
C3
Growth factor in granular tissue in a wound
VEGF
Which Immunoglobulin is a pentamer?
IgM (Ig with highest molecular weight)
IgG: % of total Ig pool? Structure? Subtypes?
75% total Ig pool
Monomer
4 subtypes: IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4
IgA: % of total Ig pool? Structure? Isoforms? Where is it found?
20% total Ig pool
Dimer
2 isoforms
Found in mucosal epithelium (GIT, respiratory tract, urogenital tract)
IgM: % of total Ig pool? Structure? Where is it found?
5% of total Ig pool
1st Immunoglobulin produced during infection, pentamer, confined to intravascular pool
IgE: Structure? Function?
Monomer
Binds to basophils and mast cells
Involved in allergy and parasitic infections
IgD: % of total Ig pool? Structure?
<1% total Ig pool
Monomer
Hepadnavirus containing DNA, can be transmitted via needle sharing and blood transfusion
Hep B
Interpretation of Hep B serology
HBsAg (surface Ag)= current infection (acute/ chronic = >6 months)
HBeAg= acute (early) infection
anti HBe Ab = indicates acquired natural immunity (from previous infection only)
anti HBs Ab = immunity (either previous infection or vaccination)
Anti HBc Ab (IgM)= acute infection, early or resolving
Anti HBc Ab (IgG)= acute/ chronic/ immune (immune secondary to infection, not vaccination)
Main cell types in the adaptive vs innate immune system
Adaptive (acquired): B and T cells that have immune memory
Innate: NK cells and some types of T cells (gamma and delta)
Rhesus D immunoglobulin treatment utilises what class of antibody?
IgG
What type of vaccination is the varicella vaccine?
Live attenuated
Examples of live/ inactivated/ toxoid/ polysaccharide and subunit/ GM vaccines?
Live: MMR, varicella, BCG, polio, rotavirus, BCG, typhoid, cholera
Inactivated: influenza, Hep A, pertussis
Toxoid: diphtheria, tetanus
Polysaccharide: HIB, meningococcal A&C, pneumococcal, typhoid
Subunit/ GM: hep B
Why does RA improve in pregnancy and SLE worsen?
Progesterone suppresses Th-1 cells and RA is Th-1 dependent
Humoral immunity tends to dominate (Th-2 cell mediated) and SLE is Th-2 dependent.
How does the placenta help to prevent immune rejection of the foetus?
The foetus is a semi-allograft
The placenta acts as an immunological barrier between the mother and the foetus. It is able to tolerate foreign antigens without provocation of immune response. A number of mechanisms help with this:
- MHC (HLA complex) antigen expression:
- In trophoblast cells MHC class II antigens are not presented
- MHC class I HLA genes can be classed as 1a (HLA-A, -B and -C) or 1b (HLA- E, -F, and -G)
- In extravillous trophoblast cells only HLA-C is expressed from 1a group along with all three types of 1b genes (-E, -F and -G)
- HLA-G in particular has several roles in immune suppression such as reduction of NK cell killing activity, reduction of IFN-y production, regulation of cytokine production and suppression of cytotoxic T lymphocyte killing activity and T-helper activity - Complement Protein Inhibition
- DAF, MCP and CG59 are proteins expressed by the placenta that inhibit complement proteins. Complement is an important part of the immune system in graft rejections. - T-cells/ T-helper cells:
- changes to both the cell populations occur during pregnancy. Increased T regulatory cell (TREG cell) populations occur. These cells both up and down regulate various immune responses.
- Th2 levels increase during pregnancy
- Th1 levels decrease during pregnancy - Phosphocholination:
The addition of phoshocholine molecule to glycoproteins inhibits T and B lymphocyte responses. - PDL1: cell signalling molecule that down regulates T cell response
- Progesterone: thought to play a role in immune suppression by stimulating lymphocytes to produce a blocking factor that mediates cytokine production
Other mechanisms: placental exosomes, retroviral envelope proteins and CRH may all play a role in maternal immune tolerance