intro to immunology Flashcards
what is the immune system
all of the organs and cells that protect you from infectious disease and. abnormal cell growth
what are the two types of pathogens
true pathogen vs opportunistic pathogen
what are we fighting against
pathogens: fungi, bacteria, viruses, parasites
cancer cells
viruses- how do they grow?
must grow inside your cells, usurp the cellular machinery fr thier own purposes
bacteria- how do they grow?
some inside the cell (intracellular) and some outside
fungi- how do they grow?
outside your cells
parasites- how do they grow?
outside your cells
cancer- how does it grow
was once your cells, now an abnormal unreguated cell
opportunistic pathogens
causes disease in immuno supressed host
true pathogen
causes disease in healthy individuals with functioning immune systems
what are the arms of defense of the immune system
innate immunity and adaptive imunity
what are the two arms of defense of the adaptive immunity
humoral- extracellular
cell mediated
innate immunity
1st line of defense
-major players exist prior to exposure
-foreign particle eliminated within hours
-no memory
-detects patterns not minor molecular differences
broad reactivity
adaptive immunity
occurs after exposure only
-delayed response- necessary to repliatce specific antigen binding cells
-very specific response- only specific antigens are recognized
-memory response is rapid and more effective- lasting memory
what are the anatomical barriers of the innate immune system
skin
mucosal membranes
acidity
extracellular molecules- enzymes in tears
cellular defenses of innate immunity
phagocytes
anti-microbial peptide secretion
pattern recognition receptors
antigen
Ag- usually a protein that an immune cell can recognize usually foreign (epitope is the very specific part of the antigen bound by an antibody). antigens can also be other macromolecules
antibody
specialized protein that directly binds to a specific antigen; confers
protection
pathogen
an organism (bacteria, virus, fungi, etc) that can cause disease
what are the two phases to any immune response
1- recognition- Recognition of a specific pathogen/antigen only occurs by a select few cells
2- response
what do APC’s interact with
T- lymphocytes- recognition
what are the professional APC’s
macrophages
dendritic cells
B cells
what is required to have an effective response
a lot of specific cells are needed = clonal selection (takes time)
what is the purpose of memory in the immune system
prevents recurrence of disease
Effect has been known since ancient times; recovered plague victims could treat infected patients
small pox
Inhalation/insertion of dried crusts from pustules
* (20-60% of infected people die, 80% of children, almost all survivors have complications
edward jenner
Inoculated boy with cowpox to achieve immunity from smallpox
louis pasteur
Inoculation with attenuated cholera bacterium– Rabies vaccination
vaccination
a weakened form of the pathogen generates memory
adaptive immune system leads to
acquired immunity
active immunization
refers to immunization by administration of an antigen
* examples: infection, vaccination
* Immunity is delayed, but long-lived
passive immunization
refers to the transfer of immunity by the transfer of specific antibody
* Examples: passage of antibodies from mother to fetus, antitoxin treatment for snake bites
* Immunity is immediate, but short-lived
adoptive immunization
refers to the transfer of immunity by the transfer of immune cells
* Example: Immunotherapy
* Like passive immunization, immunity is immediate but short-lived (until the cells die)
