Innate Immune System Flashcards

1
Q

What is the difference between infectivity and virulence?

A

Infectivity is ability to establish inside host

Virulence is ability to damage host

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Define immune system?

A

Cells and organs that contribute to immune defences against infection and non-infections (i.e cancer/foreign objects). Differentiates between self-non-self

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

What is an infectious disease?

A

When a pathogen succeeds in overwhelming a host defence response to evade

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What are 4 broad roles of the immune system?

A

Pathogen recognition
Containing infection
Minimising host damage
Memory for pathogens

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

4 characteristics of innate immunity?

A

Fast
Lack of specificity
Lack of memory
No change in intensity

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

4 characteristics of adaptive immunity?

A

Fast
Specific
Memory
Changes in intensity (same microbe 2nd time round much bigger immune response)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

What are the roles of first lines of defence of innate immunity (2)?

A

Limit entry

Prevent growth

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

What are the 4 types of first line defence of innate immunity?

A

Physical
Chemical
Biological
Physiological

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

What are the three physical barriers?

A

Skin
Mucous membranes
Cilia

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

How do cilia help prevent infection?

A

Goblet cells secrete mucus catch pathogen cilia beat and mucus is coughed up. Upper resp tract has normal flora but lower resp tract should be sterile

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What are the 4 physiological barriers?

A

Coughing
Sneezing
Vomit
Diarrhoea

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What are 2 types of chemical barrier and name examples for each

A

pH
Skin 5.5
Vagina 4.4
Stomach 2-3

Antimicrobial molecules
Gastric pepsin and acid
Lysozymes
IgA
Mucous
Beta - defensins
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What do each of the antimicrobial molecules do?

A

Gastric pepsin and acid - kills most microbes
Lysozymes - breaks bacterial cell wall
IgA - in tears sweat etc prevents microbe binding
Mucous - trap to expel
Beta - defensins - antimicrobial peptides toxic for both gram + and -

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

What is the biological barrier made up of and where?

A

Normal flora:

Skin
Nose/Pharynx
Mouth/Upper respiratory tract
GI - intestine
GU - vagina
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Are normal flora seen around internal organs? blood?

A

No No

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Name some benefits of normal flora

A

Compete with pathogens for resources and attachment sites so reduces their ability to establish
Makes vitamins e.g. Vit K
Antimicrobial properties

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Give some examples of normal flora of the skin (5)

A
Step pneumonia
Staph aureus
Staph epidermis
Candida albicans 
Clostridium perfringens
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What does opportunistic mean? How is Candida albicans opportunistic?

A

Means normally unharmful and at low numbers, if normal flora reduced e.g. with antibiotics may be given the chance to grow and cause pathology e.g. Thrush

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Give some examples of normal flora of the nasal cavity (3)

A

Strep pnuemoniae
Neisseria meningitidis
Haemophillus species

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What is first vs second line defence of innate immunity?

A

First - barriers to entry of pathogen

Second - cells that contain and clear infection

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

How can normal flora become pathogenic/pathology related to reduction in normal flora? Give examples

A

DISPLACEMENT of flora from normal location to another site - e.g. staph aureus or strep viridans
Reduced normal flora by antibiotics = pathogen can invade - e.g. cdiff
Increased flora to pathological level e.g. if host immunocompromised like AIDS - e.g. candida albicans

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What is the most common cause of normal flora being displaced to another site?

A

Poor dental hygiene/dental work

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Which patients would need antibiotic prophylaxis before dental work (4)?

A

HIV - immunocompromised
Asplenic/Hyposplenic
Damaged or prosthetic valves
Previous infective endocarditis

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Give some examples of what causes a patient to be immunocompromised/deplete normal flora and therefore at risk of overgrowth of microbes e.g. candida albicans

A
HIV
Diabetes
Malignancy
Chemo
Antibiotics
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

How can chemotherapy predispose to infection by normal flora in terms of first line defence barriers?

A

Can cause mucositis - inflammation of mucosal membranes makes it easier for bacteria to permeate

26
Q

How does taking antacids predispose to colonisation of normal flora?

A

Increases pH, low pH is an innate barrier so increases chance of bacteria being able to establish and replicate

27
Q

What does the 2nd line defence do? What is in included?

A

Contain and clear infection

Phagocytes –> neutrophils/macrophages

Inflammation

28
Q

Do phagocytes recognise pathogens?

A

Yes

29
Q

Name some roles of macrophages. Are they present in all organs?

A

APC
Phagocyte
Produce cytokines
Angiogenesis

Yes

30
Q

What is the most common leukocyte present in the blood?

A

Neutrophils 60%

31
Q

What is the major WBC component of pus?

A

Neutrophils - so especially phagocytose pyogenic bacteria e.g. staph aureus staph pyogenes

32
Q

What recruits neutrophils?

A

Chemokines at site of infection

33
Q

Name three encapsulated bacteria splenic patients are particularly susceptible to developing

A

Neisseria meningitidis
Strep pneumoniae
Haemophillus influenzae

34
Q

What is the broad role of cytokines

A

Cell signalling

Eg recruitment of cells in inflammation

35
Q

Give two ways a phagocyte can recognise a pathogen

A

PRRs/PAMPs

Opsonisation

36
Q

How do PAMPs PRRs work?

A

PRRs on phagocytes recognise PAMPs on microbes.
There a variety of PRRs that recognise different things so can recognise a wide range of microbes
This allow the pathogen to attach to phagocytose

37
Q

What is the most common type of PRR?

A

Toll like receptor

38
Q

Why do PRRs not target host cells?

A

Because they don’t have PAMPs

39
Q

What is the PRR for gram neg bacteria that targets lipopolysaccharide (PAMP)?

A

Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4)

40
Q

What is the PRR for gram pos bacteria that targets peptidoglycan (PAMP)?

A

Toll like receptor 2 (TLR2)

41
Q

What is the PRR for gram neg lipopolysaccharide?

A

TLR4

42
Q

What is the PRR for gram pos peptidoglycan?

A

TLR2

43
Q

What is the PRR for all mycobacteria

A

TLR2

44
Q

What is an opsonin?

A

A coating protein that binds to microbes and leads to enhanced attachment of phagocytes

45
Q

Give three classes of opsonins and name some

A

Complement proteins - c3b c4b

Antibodies - IgG IgM

Acute phase proteins - CRP MBL (mannose binding lectin)

46
Q

Why is opsonisation really important for encapsulated bacteria?

A

As they resist phagocytosis

47
Q

How does a phagocyte come into contact with a pathogen?

A

Chemotaxis

Sometimes can randomly bump

48
Q

After the phagocyte has recognised the pathogen then what?

A

Phagocytosis

49
Q

What are the 7 stages of phagocytosis

A

1) Chemotaxis- adherence to microbe
2) Ingestion of microbe
3) Phagosome
4) Lysophagosome
5) Digest material - enzymes
6) Residual body
7) Eliminate waste

50
Q

What are two intracellular phagocyte killing mechanisms?

A

Oxygen dependent - using ROS - e.g. hydrogen peroxide, hydroxyl radical
Oxygen independent - e.g. lysosomal enzymes

51
Q

What two things help phagocytes in 2nd line defence?

A

Complement system

Cytokines

52
Q

What are three roles of complement system?

A

1) Recruitment of phagocytes - chemotaxis
2) Opsonisation
3) Membrane attack - killing of bacteria

53
Q

Which complement proteins do each of the 3 roles of the complement system?

A

1) c3a c5a
2) c3b c4a
3) c5-c9

54
Q

What are the antimicrobial actions of the complement system?

A

Same as asking what the three roles are

Recruitment
Opsonisation
Membrane attack

55
Q

What are two pathways of complement from the lecture?

A

Alternative pathway - C3 - initiated by cell surface microbial constituents

MBL pathway - initiated when MBL binds to mannose containing residues of proteins found on many microbes

56
Q

What are three roles of cytokines

A

Chemoattraction
Phagocyte activation
Inflammation

57
Q

What cytokines do macrophages release?

A

IL-1 IL-6 TNF-alpha

58
Q

What do these do (4)?

A

1) Stimulate liver to produce opsonins - CRP/MBL
2) Stimulate neutrophil mobilisation from bone marrow
3) Inflamm actions - vasodilation, vasc permeability, adhesion molecules (attraction of neutrophils)
4) Hypothalamus - increased body temperature

59
Q

Which disease has no respiratory burst? Which enzyme is missing?

A

Chronic granulomatous disease (no NADPH oxidase)

60
Q

Which disease has no phagolysosome formation?

A

Chediak-Higashi syndrome

61
Q

What 3 conditions can reduce neutrophil number and therefore reduct innate immunity?

A

Chemo
Leukaemia/lymphoma
Certain drugs - phenytoin

62
Q

Lack/dysfunction of what organ can lead to reduced phagocytosis?

A

Spleen

Splenic macrophages