Immunology 2: Medical relevance of the immune system (past successes of vaccination & prospects for future applications)

Question 1

What did the greek historian Thucydides record?

Answer 1

Those who survived the plague could attend to the sick without getting it again (even though its super contagious)
-1st recorded observation implying the immune system to have memory

Question 2

Thucydides saying that only those who recovered from the “plague’” not any other disease were protected implies ___.

Answer 2

that the memory is specific

Question 3

One feature of immune system’s memory

Answer 3

increased tempo of the immune system
-allows host to have advantage in race b/n pathogen multiplication (ultimately disease) & containment (resolution of infection)

Question 4

Jenner Of England’s study on vaccination stimulated by ___.

Answer 4

Remark from milk maid saying she couldn’t have smallpox since she already had cowpox.
-Jenner published first memoir on vaccination from this statement

Question 5

Jenner protected individuals from smallpox how?

Answer 5

1798

-inoculating them with material from legions of cows with cowpox

Question 6

“cross” protection due to?

Answer 6

Cross memory of immune system: suggests 2 pathogens have features in common

Question 7

Effects of those infected with Smallpox in England (1798)

Answer 7

every 60/100 got it

every 20/100 died from it

Question 8

Cases of smallpox since 1977?

Answer 8

None - worldwide vaccination program

Question 9

Louis Pasteur’s work in 1880

Answer 9

Developed ways to attenuate pathogens (make them less harmful/virulent) so they could be used for vaccinations without causing full symptoms

Question 10

Virulent Bacilli responsible for chicken cholera attenuate process

Answer 10

Prolonged culture under anaerobic conditions

Question 11

Anthrax Bacillus attenuate process & public experiment

Answer 11

• put them under 42C temperature instead of 37C
• Pasteur infected animals with anthrax disease, almost all control animals died & almost all vaccinated animals survived

Question 12

Other things Pasteur showed

• anthrax in pigs
• immunization of dogs

Answer 12

• passage of other animal species lowers virulence of anthrax in pig & the less virulent strain can be used for pig vaccination
• immunization of dogs with extract from spine of rabies-infected rabbits, given shortly after infection occurs

Question 13

Immunization

Answer 13

establishment of resistance to a pathogen by administering attenuated form of microorganism

• first achieved against viruses
• can be achieved for any substance foreign to the animal

Question 14

Polio vaccinations

Answer 14

1940s-50s

• isolation of causative virus led to vaccines of either the dead virus (Salk vaccine) or attenuated virus (Sabin vaccine)
• dramatic drop in those infected by polio

Question 15

The Iron Lung

Answer 15

polio epidemic of 1940s-50s

-people who’s respiratory muscles were affected kept alive by mechanical respirator

Question 16

Allergies

Answer 16

• wrong antibody (IGE) causes acute inflammation
• mast cells bind to ICE that recognize allergy antigens degranulate & release histidine as defence
• there is evidence that continual exposure to allergen can influence body to present correct antibody (IGA, IGC)

Question 17

Understanding the immune system defences better can help us to control ___

Answer 17

Cancer more readily.