Immunology Flashcards
Purpose of immunology
Allows us to understand immune response and develop control strategies
What is variolation?
Inoculating the crusty bits from a lesion of a mild case of small pox into the skin with a needle
What are the primary lymphoid organs and which cells are produced there?
Thymus (T cells) Bone marrow (B cells)
What are the secondary lymphoid organs?
Spleen, lymph-nodes, tonsils
What are the components of innate immunity?
Antigen independence, no lag phase, non-specific, no immunologic memory
What are the components of adaptive immunity?
Antigen dependent, has a lag phase, antigen specific, memory
What are the physical barriers used by innate immunity?
Gut villi, skin, respiratory tract, lung cilia
What are the cells responsible for innate immunity?
Natural killer cells, mast cells, basophils, phagocytes, neutrophils
What are the soluble factors used by adaptive immunity?
Immunoglobulins
Antibodies
In innate immunity, what do you phagocytes defend the body against?
Bacteria, neutrophils ingest invading pathogens
How do phagocytic cells recognise bacteria?
Lipopolysaccharide markers, sugar residues, teichoic acids, n- formyl peptides, bacterial heat-shock proteins
How do you phagocytes to kill bacteria?
Through oxygen independent mechanisms, such as lysosomes, or oxygen dependent mechanisms, such as reactive oxygen species which cause oxidative burst
Where are mast cells found?
In the tissue
Where are basophils found?
In the blood
What do mast cells and basophils contain which stimulate inflammation?
Cytoplasmic granules. Degranulation may be induced by trauma, toxins, venoms. Degranulation releases histamine, anticoagulants, leukotrienes, and cytokines.
What is the role of natural killer cells?
To recognise infected cells without needing an antigen. They contain toxic chemicals in their granules which kill infected cells. The granules punch holes in the infected cell membrane and release high levels of cytokines.
What is the role of the cells in adaptive immunity?
To produce antibodies, bind to toxins or microorganisms to neutralise them or tag them to be destroyed by other cells. This is known as humoural immunity.
What are the three types of T cells?
T-helper 1 which produce cytokines that activate macrophages.
T-helper 2 which produce cytokines that activate mast cells and eosinophils.
- this coordinates the immune response-
Cytotoxic T cells which express CD8 and interact with the target cells, they recognise antigens and cause the cells to undergo apoptosis
What is the role of T cells in adaptive immunity?
To recognise antigens
