importance of lab animals and inflammation

Question 1

why are mice often used

Answer 1

• small size
• low cost
• availability
  etc…

Question 2

what are/have lab animals used for?

Answer 2

1. proving that an organism causes disease (Koch’s Postulates)
2. used to maintain microorganisms that do not grow well in artificial media. Helos prevent/ reverse attenuation
3. help obtain a pure culture. not all bacteria grow well in media, eg. proteus
4. determine the toxicity or virulence of a microorganism. eg. clostridium botulinum toxins
5. preparation of vaccines
6. used to create large amounts of antiserum
7. study of immune response

Question 3

describe antiserum

Answer 3

• produced in the blood of a vaccinated animal
• is serum that contains antibodies directed against various epitopes of an antigen

Question 4

epitope

Answer 4

is a structural component of an antigen against which responses are made and to which an antibody binds
aka antigenic determinant

Question 5

how is immune response studied?

Answer 5

• injections (aka parental inoculations) introduce material in any route except oral

Question 6

describe inflammation

Answer 6

the changes that occur in living tissue in response to an irritant or injury

Question 7

what are the cardinal signs of inflammation? (5)

Answer 7

redness
swelling
heat
pain
loss of function

Question 8

what can cause inflammation?

Answer 8

Microorganism
irritants (trauma, chemical agents)
immunological agents (eg. vaccines)

Question 9

what is the inflammatory exudate and how is it formed

Answer 9

is made in response to the initiation of irritation
contains blood cells and proteins that help fight invading organisms

irritant
1. blood cells DIALTAE allowing MORE blood flow to the area
- leads to the redness in the area

2. at the same time the blood vessels are becoming more permeable (leaky)
   - this allows for fluid to enter the cells
   - causes swelling and pain
   - these vessels are however very effective in transporting WBC to the injury site
3. The WBC easily penetrates the walls of the blood vessels and migrates into the area of the injury (is an important defense)

Question 10

most important WBC found in the area of inflammation (3)

Answer 10

Neutrophil
eosinophil
monocyte

Question 11

describe how the neutrophil acts in inflammation

Answer 11

• are the main cells that migrate from the body into the surrounding tissues
• are pleomorphic, enabling them to migrate out of the blood vessels readily
• after leaving the blood vessel they are attracted to the microorganisms through chemotaxis
• once the neutrophils contact the microorganism they begin to phagocytize the organism
• in this process, the bacteria as well as the neutrophil is destroyed, and the remaining debris becomes PUS

Question 12

chemotaxis

Answer 12

the directed migration of a cell in response to a chemical stimulus, such as a growth factor.

Question 13

negative chemotaxis

Answer 13

occasionally the neutrophils are repelled by the microorganism

Question 14

describe how the eosinophil acts during inflammation

Answer 14

• migrates out of the blood vessels
• acts similar to the neutrophil

Question 15

describe the monocyte in inflammation

Answer 15

• migrate to the area, where they mature into macrophages and phagocytize bacteria
• release inflammatory mediators
• regulate the immune response
  this is done by processing antigens (something that makes the animal elicit an antibody response) in order to present to the lymphocytes and initiate further immune response