Innate Immunity Flashcards
1
Q
Immune System
A
- The immune system fights off foreign material that threatens the body
- Protects against disease
- Consists of two branches:
- Innate: Non-specific
- Adaptive: Highly specific
2
Q
Innate Immune System
A
- Protect humans from most infectious diseases
- Exists at birth and always present
- Natural host resistance
- No memory
- Can be specific for a particular tissue
- Consists of:
- Physical barriers
- Chemical defenses
- Cellular defenses
- Molecular defenses
- Physiological processes
3
Q
Innate Immune System (Part 2)
A
- Infection site and tissue specificity
- Pathogens prefer a specific body site to initiate infection
- Based on nutritional and metabolic needs
- Mechanism of spread
- Aerosols vs blood/bodily fluids
- Clostridium tetani can be ingested or can enter into deep wounds
- Pathogens prefer a specific body site to initiate infection
- Natural host resistance
- Susceptibility to pathogens varies from one species to another
- Anthrax causes fatal blood infection in cattle and cutaneous infection in
humans - HIV can infect human cells but not mice or guinea pigs
- Anthrax causes fatal blood infection in cattle and cutaneous infection in
- Susceptibility to pathogens varies from one species to another
4
Q
What are the physical barriers to infection?
A
- Skin
- Mucous membranes
5
Q
Skin
A
- Prevents invasion by microbes
- Rich in tough protective protein
- Keratin
- Slightly acidic ~pH 5
- High [NaCl]-periodic drying
- Some fungal infections can grow right on the skin’s surface
- Many require broken skin in order to penetrate and cause infection
6
Q
Mucous membranes
A
- Line tracts in the body
- Respiratory tract, digestive tract, reproductive tract, urinary tract
- Mucous produced by goblet cells
- Traps microbes preventing infection
- Contains antimicrobial secretions
7
Q
Types of Mucous membranes
A
- The respiratory tract
- The gastrointestinal tract
- The genitourinary tract
8
Q
The respiratory tract
A
- Contains the mucocilliary escalator
- Mucosal epithelial cells contain cilia
- Serve to filter incoming air
- Sweeping action of cilia allows the removal of mucous and trapped microbes from the lungs
9
Q
The gastrointestinal tract
A
- The stomach
- Small Intestine
- Large Intestine
10
Q
The stomach
A
- Strongly acidic: pH~2
- Contains proteases
- Few microbes are able to survive in this environment
11
Q
Small Intestine
A
- Pancreatic juice buffers acidity of incoming contents from the stomach: pH ~7
- Contains pancreatic enzymes
- Contains bile from the liver
- Very difficult for microbes to maintain cellular integrity in this harsh environment
12
Q
Large Intestine
A
- Contains the normal microbiota
- Normal resident bacteria that live symbiotically inside of the colon
- Use attachment sites to persist
- Consume undigested nutrients
- Competitive exclusion
- Produce antimicrobial compounds
- Microbial antagonism
13
Q
The genitourinary tract
A
- Genital and urinary tracts are separate in females and joint in males
- Urinary tract contains urine
- Includes many toxins that are intolerable by bacteria
- The act of urination physically removes contaminating microbes
- The female reproductive tract contains normal microbiota
- Glycogen secreted by vaginal epithelial cells supplies nutrients for microbial growth
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Ferments glucose to lactic acid
- Local pH ~4.5
- Ferments glucose to lactic acid
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Glycogen secreted by vaginal epithelial cells supplies nutrients for microbial growth
14
Q
The Lymphatic System
A
- Composed of organs and vessels that allow immune cells to contact foreign
antigenic material- An antigen is foreign material that is able to activate cells of the immune
system
- An antigen is foreign material that is able to activate cells of the immune
- Components of the lymphatic system include:
- Lymphatic vessels
- Lymphoid organs:
- Primary lymphoid organs
- Secondary lymphoid organs
15
Q
Lymphatic vessels
A
- Carry lymph from the tissues to the lymph nodes
- Unidirectional (always away from tissues)
- Lymph is rich in leukocytes (white blood cells)
- Free of erythrocytes (red blood cells)