Inflamation And Immunology Flashcards
What are the main physiologic effects of stimulating histamine receptors during the inflammatory response?
Vasodilation and increased capillary permeability
Vasodilation of the local arterioles in order to bring more WBCs to the area and increased capillary permeability to allow the WBCs to escape into the tissues to fight the infection
Leukotrienes and prostaglandins play a role in:
Maintaining the inflammatory response after mast cell degranulation has occurred.
Ellen Harald is in a car accident and sustains a fracture to her rib cage with extensive soft tissue injury. The pain associated with the injury is related to:
Release of prostaglandins.
The swelling of the tissue around the injury is a direct result of:
Increased capillary permeability.
Which circulating white blood cell is present in the greatest quantities in the blood and generally is the first to arrive at the site of an infection?
Neutrophil
Up to 70% of the white blood cells (WBCs) in the blood are neutrophils. The other WBCs are present in much smaller quantities. The neutrophil is the ‘first responder’ in an inflammatory response. They generally start arriving between 6-12 hours after mast cell degranulation.
Eosinophils are phagocytes that play an important role in:
parasitic infections.
An elevation in the blood levels of which of the following cells would indicate the presence of a chronic bone infection?
Monocytes
A monocyte is the ‘immature’ macrophage that is released from the bone marrow and circulates in the blood stream until an inflammatory response occurs.
Which of the following patients is at risk for developing infections because their levels of complement proteins are low?
A 72 year old man with liver failure due to alcoholic cirrhosis.
Complement proteins are produced and released by the liver. Severe liver disease and the resulting hepatocyte injury could result in a decrease in the production of complement proteins which are essential for fighting infections.
What are the primary actions/effects of activated complement proteins?
Cell lysis
Vasodilation & increased capillary permeability
Opsonization
What are some systemic manifestations of acute inflammation?
INCREASED C-reactive protein levels.
Fever.
Leukocytosis.
Increase in the erythrocyte sedimentation.
Which of the following descriptions is the best definition of the term ‘antigen’ in immunology?
Any molecule that is recognized by lymphocytes and reacts with antibodies
What is a true statement about human leukocyte antigen (HLA)
HLA allows the immune system to distinguish cells of its own body from foreign microorganisms and tissues.
What do antibodies do?
Antibodies are immunoglobulins
Antibodies can neutralize both bacteria and viruses
Antibodies opsonize bacteria and other foreign organisms
Secretions from the mucous membranes of the respiratory and GI tracts primarily contain which antibody?
IgA
Also known as secretory IgA
Which antibody would have the highest titers during a secondary immune response?
IgG
Opsonization of bacteria with complement proteins and antibodies promotes:
phagocytosis.
How does vaccination confer immunity against an infectious disease?
The production of memory B and T lymphocytes makes the immune system ready to mount a secondary immune response upon subsequent exposures to the microorganism.
Inflammatory response
Rapid
Nonspecific
No memory
Involves cells and plasma protein systems
Immune response
Slower
Specific
Memory
Involves lymphocytes and antibodies
Can be induced by vaccination
What is the Mast cell function?
immediate release of histamine through a process called degranulation.
What are the functions of histamine?
Vasodilation
Increased capillary permeability
Non-vascular smooth muscle contraction (bronchoconstriction)
What other mediators does the Mast Cell synthesizes?
Leukotrienes
Prostaglandins
What is Leukotrienes function?
Same as histamine
Vasodilation
Increased capillary permeability
Non-vascular smooth muscle contraction
What is the function of Prostaglandins?
Function like histamine plus pain and fever.
Basophil function
Release histamine and Leukotrienes in bloodstream.
Is the last common WBC < 1.0%
Neutrophil function
Phagocytosis- destruction of cells via lysosomal &/or free radical injury
Neutrophil function
Arrive quickly during acute phases of inflammation (6-12 hours after degranulation)
Phagocytosis of bacteria and debris.
How does neutrophil conduct phagocytosis?
They destroy the cells via lysosomal and/or free radical injury.
Eosinophil function
Phagocytosis of parasites
Involved in allergic response (type 1 hypersensitivities)
What is the difference between Monocytes and Macrophages?
Released into the bloodstream by the bone marrow as monocyte (immature WBC)
Migrate to inflammatory site and transform into Macrophage (within 24-72 hours of degranulation)
Macrophage function
Phagocytosis of bacteria and cellular debris
Promote wound healing
What are the plasma proteins produced by?
The liver
What is the Complement system of plasma proteins?
Each activated protein promotes inflammation in some way AND activates the next protein in cascade
All three ways of starting cascade lead to the same effects
What are the Complement System Effects?
vasodilation, increased capillary permeability, bronchoconstriction
Opsonization
Chemotaxis
Lysis of bacteria and other cells by membrane attack complex (MAC)
Clotting system
What is opsonization?
It makes the bacteria “tasty” promoting phagocytosis
What is Chemotaxis?
Is a chemical movement that sends signals for WBC to follow
How does the membrane attack complex (MAC) works?
Proteins come together and make a hole in the bacteria’s cell wall
What is the clotting system?
Consist of fibrin
Forms a meshwork to stop the bleeding
Limits infection
Forms framework for scar tissue formation
What are local manifestations of inflammation?
Heat and redness
Pain
Edema/swelling (due to leaky capillaries)
What are systematic manifestations of inflammation?
Fever
Leukocytosis (increase in total WBC count)
C-reactive protein
Increased erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
The swelling of the tissue around the injury is a direct result of:
increased capillary permeability.
What causes vascular response to systemic or severe inflammation?
Bloodstream infection (bacteremia)
Severe localized infection (e.g., wound or urinary tract infection)
Massive trauma (e.g., crush or burn injuries)
What is the Vascular response to systemic or severe inflammation?
Hypotension (low blood pressure)
Systemic edema
Hypovolemia
Sepsis
Septic shock
What is Sepsis?
a systematic inflammatory response to a bloodstream infection
What is septic shock?
severe hypotension due to sepsis
Sepsis is a dangerous condition where the systemic inflammatory response is unchecked, ______ and thus depleting blood fluids.
making the capillaries throughout the body very leaky
What type of cells are produced by the immune response?
B lymphocytes
T lymphocytes
Which cell produces antibodies (immunoglobulins)?
B lymphocytes
What is the role of T lymphocytes?
Direct killing microorganisms and foreign tissues
What is an antigen?
A molecule that is recognized by lymphocytes and reacts with antibodies
What are examples of foreign non-human antigens?
Virus and bacteria (pose a legitimate threat)
Pollen and food allergies (elicit pathogenic reactions)
What is a self antigen and some examples?
Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA)- Specific form of Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) protein
A, B (and Rh) Antigen in red blood cells
What is the difference between immunoglobulins (Ig) and antibody?
Immunoglobulins (Ig) - Term used to denote all types
Antibody - Immunoglobulins that have specificity for a particular antigen
What is the best definition of the term ‘antigen’ in immunology?
Any molecule that is recognized by lymphocytes and reacts with antibodies
What are some statements about antibodies?
Antibodies opsonize bacteria and other foreign organisms.
Antibodies are immunoglobulins.
Antibodies can neutralize toxins.
What are the different antibody classes?
IgM
IgG
IgA
IgE
Which class of immunoglobulins is the first antibody produced during the primary response to antigen
IgM
Which class of immunoglobulins is the one produced in high concentration during a secondary response to antigen?
IgG
Which antibody is associated with allergies?
IgE
What are the types of interacting T Lymphocytes?
Helper T - Th
Cytotoxic T - Tc
Regulatory T – Treg
Helper T- Th cell function
Get input from phagocytes and activate other lymphocytes, they get activated by antigen presenting cells (phagocytes)
Cytotoxic T-Tc cell function
Some Tc cells kill directly
Some Tc cells become Memory T cells
Regulatory T – Treg cell function
Suppress B and T cell activation
What other cells does Helper T (Th) cell activate?
Th activate B cells
Cytotoxic T (Tc) cell- Tc cells kill directly
Memory T (Tm) cell- Tm for faster secondary response
In the absence of functioning Th cells, such as in untreated HIV infection that develops into AIDS, the entire immune response is compromised
Antibodies are produced by ______.
plasma cells that were formed from B cells.
True or False?
Memory T cells (Tm) are partly responsible for a faster secondary immune response.
True
What is the vaccination rationale?
Stimulate production of memory B cells and memory T cells
Enjoy the speed and strength of a secondary immune response
Use nonpathogenic forms or components of the microbes
What is an inactivated vaccine?
Virulent microbes are killed to abolish their infectivity and pathogenicity, yet still retain their immunogenicity.
What is a live attenuated vaccine?
Microbes are treated to reduce their infectivity and pathogenicity, yet still retain their immunogenicity.
may not be safe for immunocompromised individuals.
What is a toxoid vaccine?
Vaccine is made from inactivated bacterial toxin or other toxin, such as snake venom
What is an RNA vaccine?
Vaccine is made from RNA that codes for the COVID-19 spike protein
The RNA needs to be taken up by cells, translated into the spike protein.
The newly synthesized protein becomes the antigen that our immune system mounts an attack against.
