Infection and Immunity : Acute phase proteins

Question 1

What is inflammation and what causes it?

Answer 1

inflammation: pain, heat,redness and swelling

what triggers inflammation?

• infection
• trauma
• allergies
• autoimmune disease
• foreign body

Question 2

What is CRP?

Answer 2

• C-Reactive proteitn (CRP)
  
  • member of pentraxin family and bind to Fc receptor of monocytes and neutophills to stimulate production of cytokines → innate immune system
  • works on opsonin → puts target on pathogen → antibodies can stick to it or can phagocytose it
  • activates complement → three main: lectin,classical and alternative pathway

Question 3

What happens in complement cascade?

Answer 3

• → active membrane attack complex
• dilate arterioles → more blood flow = more response
• stimulating mast cells to release histamine
• cause chemotaxis of phagocytes
• opsonisation (flagging) of microbes

Question 4

What is Serum amyloid A?

Answer 4

when stimulate neurtohphills and become multi lobed produce cytokines and explode = nuclear dust → cleaned up by serum amyloid A by mirroring CRP → produce lipoprotiens in cell membrane and identify and cause macrophages to come and clear up lipids released from cell membrane→ bring back under control

Question 5

what is Fibrinogen?

Answer 5

w/acute infection - microbe wants to use resources → iron prodcued to counteract

Question 6

Where do acute phase proteins come from?

Answer 6

• liver produced response
• IL-1, IL-6 and TNF-alpha stimulate the hepatocytes to produce the acute phase reactants.**
• when acute phase protiens increases, albumin levels reduce → done to maintain oncotic pressure → as proteins enter to blood stream

Question 7

What is ESR?

Answer 7

esr is not a single protein → usually lags behind the CRP response

• based on how fast erythrocytes clump together
• non-specific sickness index
• not diagnostic for any particular disease
• increases with age: due to increase in SAA and anaemia
• increases iwth increase in acute phases reactants and immunoglobulins
• can be a marker of chronic inflammation

Question 8

Describe esr/crp characteristics in: Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, Pneumonia and abscess

Answer 8

• Osteoarthritis → no raised CRP with related to OS but could have anemia and older so could be raised
• rheumatoid arithitus → typically small rise in CRP
• Pneumonia → common over a huge range
• abscess → deep infection which gives high inflammatory