Immunology Introduction Flashcards
Immunity
Protection from disease
Immunoglobin
Soluble immune component of blood serum
Also known as antibody
Antibodies
Produced by B cells
Soluble
Specific to antigen
Can be transferred between individuals to provide passive immune protection
Humoral immunity
Combating pathogens via antibodies
Soluble portion of immune system
Passive immunity
Transferring cells or serum constituents from one individual to another, thus giving the receiving individual the benefits of the donor’s immunity
Active immunity
Host-generated response to infection
Cell-mediated immunity
Immunity imparted by cells (specifically, T-cells)
T cells
Main component of cell-mediated immunity
Can act directly to eradicate infectious agent or can aid other cells in their work
B cells
Produce antibodies, main component of humoral immunity
Antigen
Specific pathogenic structure that binds to receptors
Clonal selection
Process by which individual T and B lymphocytes are engaged by antigen and cloned to create a population of antigen-reactive cells with identical antigen specificity
4 main categories of pathogens
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites
Tolerance
Prohibition of immune response to host tissue
Innate immunity
Immediate response to infection
Mediated by barriers, myeloid cells, and cell products
Not very antigen-specific
Adaptive immunity
Delayed response to infection
Mediated by lymphocytes (B and T cells)
Very antigen-specific
Inflammatory response
Swelling, heat, and tenderness at site of infection
Caused by innate immune response
Primary response
First exposure to pathogen
Results in creation of memory cells (B and T cells)
Secondary response
Memory B and T cells (remaining from first exposure to specific pathogen) are activated during subsequent exposure to that pathogen
Herd immunity
The more people vaccinated, the less likely any individual within the population is to contract the disease
Hypersensitivity (allergy)
Overly zealous attacks on common benign, but foreign, antigens
Autoimmune disease
Immune cells wrongly targeting self-proteins or tissues
Immune deficiency
Insufficiency of immune response to protect against infectious agents
Immune imbalance
Dysregulation in immune system that leads to abnormal activity of immune cells, especially enhanced inflammation and/or reduced immune inhibition
