Introduction to the Immune System Flashcards
The ___ system is a disparate set of organs and tissues that interact to protect the body from foreign pathogens and dysfunctional self cells.
immune
*disparate = doesn’t have single location
what is a pathogen?
an organism that has the potential to cause disease
what are the 5 classes of pathogens?
- bacteria
- viruses
- fungi
- protozoa
- parasites
what are the 5 roles of the immune system?
- kill or control pathogens
- control disease
- repair tissue damage
- organ development
- maintain organ integrity and function
___ was the first practice to provide immunity
variolation
what are some examples of variolation?
- powdered smallpox tissue inhaled or rubbed into scratches on the skin
- widely practiced in 16th century China
- introduced to britain by lady montagu in 1721
describe vaccination
- developed by edward jenner in 1796
- cowpox exposure prevented smallpox
- substantially safer than variolation/inoculation
vaccination was not expanded until louis pasteur and emile roux developed a ___ vaccine in 1865
rabies
the study of immunology demonstrated that our body has a responsive system for ___ and ___ pathogens that cause disease
targeting and eliminating
what are the most successful developments in public health to date?
vaccines
what are the 2 main physical barriers that the body is protected by?
skin and mucosal surfaces
name some examples of mucosal surfaces that provide physical barriers for the body
- respiratory tract
- sinuses
- trachea
- lungs
- urogenital tract
- kidneys
- bladder
- vagina
- gastrointestinal tract
- oral cavity
- esophagus
- stomach
- intestines
- mammary glands
what properties do protective physical barriers provide for the body?
- endogenous antimicrobial properties
- sebum
- low pH
- commensal organisms
how does the immune system respond when barriers are compromised?
describe how the immune system destroys pathogens
what are 3 common effector mechanisms utilized in the destruction of pathogens by the immune system?
- phagocytosis
- granule release
- targeted cell death
what are the 2 branches of the immune system?
innate immunity and adaptive immunity
describe innate immunity
- rapid response (hours)
- fixed response
- limited pathogen specificity
- consistent response
compare primary and secondary responses of the innate and adaptive immune systems
describe adaptive immunity
- slow response (days to weeks)
- flexible response
- very selective pathogen specificity
- response improves with exposure
- retains a memory of previous infection
how do the two branches of the immune system work together?
the adaptive immune system requires an innate response
what happens to the number of microorganisms and duration of infection when innate immunity is lacking? what about when adaptive immunity is lacking?
what are the principal components of innate immunity?
- epithelial barriers
- phagocytes
- dendritic cells
- complement
- NK cells
what are the principal components of adaptive immunity?
- B lymphocytes → antibodies
- T lymphocytes → effector T cells
immune cells function through ___ and ___ interaction
direct and indirect