Nothing but the basics

Question 1

immune responses are manifested most prominently in specific organs. Despite this, they are

Answer 1

a whole body response

Question 2

Three things the immune system does

Answer 2

1. recognizes self from non self; 2. helps in the regulation of homeostasis; 3. active in wound healing

Question 3

“shock and awe” strategy

Answer 3

the immune system’s two lines of defense that recognize the presence of microbes and destroy them via severa “often redundant” mechanisms

Question 4

innate immune system

Answer 4

first line of defense, often involves an inflammatory response, found in basic eukaryotes, activates adaptive immunity

Question 5

adaptive immunity system

Answer 5

second line of defense, respond with a delay, first developed in jawed vertebrates, hallmark is the system’s polymorphism (inter and intra specific variability

Question 6

the more powerful the adaptive response against invaders…

Answer 6

the higher the probability that it will hurt the host

Question 7

a healthy immune system

Answer 7

can fail given the right “microbe orchestrated subversion”

Question 8

cancer caused by infection

Answer 8

is an important problem

Question 9

three (loosely separated) failures of the immune system

Answer 9

immunodeficiencies, autoimmune disorders, hypersensitivity

Question 10

the two most common manifestations of suboptimal immune functioning

Answer 10

immaturity of the immune system in children and immunosenescence in the elderly

Question 11

cause of surpression of immunity (other than because of age based reasons)

Answer 11

microbe-induced immuno-suppression (HIV), genetically inherited (SCID)

Question 12

sepsis

Answer 12

when a pathogen overwhelms a host - when an infectious organism leaves one organ and spreads via the circulatory and lymphatic system

Question 13

chronic inflammation

Answer 13

when an invader persists in a host - prolonged inflammation causes tissue scarring because of the long-term recruitment of harmful mediators –> inflammation is now thought to be a associated with conditions such as Atherosclerosis (lipid storage disease), obesity, diabetes, depression, sports medicine, cancer, and cardiovascular disease

Question 14

auto-inflammatory vs. autoimmune diseases

Answer 14

autoinflammatory: strong genetic component, failure of the innate immune system to recognize self; autoimmune: failure of the adaptive immune system to recognize self (arthritis, thyroid disease)

Question 15

hypersensitivity

Answer 15

4 types (respective mediation: IgE, antibody, immune complex, cell) heterogeneous disorders, marked by inappropriate responses against innocuous antigens

Question 16

monoclonal antibodies

Answer 16

block/enhance various pathways - important for targeted therapy (a severe lack in the field of immunology currently)

Question 17

cowpox/smallpox

Answer 17

Jenner, acquired immunity, come on guys, clown question

Question 18

passive immunity

Answer 18

transfer of serum blood containing specific antibodies from an immune organism to a naive organism causing, essentially, a “transfer in immunity”

Question 19

epitope

Answer 19

structure of an antigenic determinant (i.e. the part that binds to the antibody). experiments based on epitopes revealed “the remarkable ability of antibodies to distinguish antigens on the basis of very minor changes in their physical structure”

Question 20

antigenic epitope

Answer 20

‘small chemical structure of an antigen that is specifically bound by an antibody molecule’

Question 21

“conjugate vaccines”

Answer 21

extremely efficient and safe substances, based on the highly specific selectivity of antibodies for a specific epitope on and antigen (think chicken - protein derivatives, rabbit - antibodies, horse - original antigens)

Question 22

variable region of an antigen is present on what terminus

Answer 22

N terminus

Question 23

two important characteristics about antibodies

Answer 23

1. they can confer immunity to virtually any chemical structure ‘in response to immunization’ 2. they do not respond to ‘self’ antigens

Question 24

burnet clonal hypothesis

Answer 24

the right one about antibodies….duh

Question 25

what happens during the ‘lag phase’ before an adaptive immune response (7-10 days)

Answer 25

an antigen is presented to mature lymphocytes in the periphery (which are subsequently activated and proliferate), and then B cells secrete antibody (persists for weeks/months under normal circumstances). memory cells are also created that persist for years

Question 26

bacterial cels in the body

Answer 26

outnumber human cells by ten fold and are present in the GI tract, the skin, the mouth, the nasopharynx, the lower respiratory tract, and the urogenital tract

Question 27

commensalism

Answer 27

parasite does not effect on the health of the host organism, the host does make antibodies against the parasite. can indirectly benefit the host through indirect prevention of colonization (taking up the parking spot)

Question 28

mutualism

Answer 28

when a microbe DIRECTLY benefits a host organism (think: synthesis of vitamin K)

Question 29

parasitism

Answer 29

when a parasite hurts the host. this damage usually presents as a disease

Question 30

pathogen

Answer 30

a microorganism that can cause disease in a host organism

Question 31

virulence

Answer 31

the quantitative measure of the ability of a pathogen to cause disease in a host organism

Question 32

colonization vs. infection vs. disease

Answer 32

colonization is the inhabitance of non sterile surfaces without breaching any mechanical/chemical barriers between the non-sterile and sterile tissues. a breach in these barriers causes INFECTION, which IN SOME CASES can be symptomatic and therefore can be categorized as a DISEASE (the host is adversely affected)

Question 33

four major types of pathogens

Answer 33

VIPEr: viruses (intracellular), intracellular bacteria/parasites, parasitic worms, extracellular bacteria/parasites/fungi. each have unique life cycles and cause disease in the human host through a specific pathway. the immune system has defenses against all four classes

Question 34

major cell lineages of the adaptive immune response

Answer 34

lymphocyte lineage mediated: b cells, t cells, and dendritic cells (sort of)

Question 35

major cell lineages of the innate immune system

Answer 35

granulocytes/PMLs (i.e. neutrophils, basophils, eosinophils: responsible for the killing and removal of infectious bacteria), monocytes, and dendritic cells (sort of)

Question 36

all immune lineage cells

Answer 36

are highly mobile and constantly migrating throughout the body

Question 37

3 stages of an immune response

Answer 37

1. immediate innate immunity - broad group of effector cells 2. early induced innate immunity - effector cells and inflammation, recognition of PAMPS 3. adaptive immune response - requires the activation, proliferation, and differentiation of lymphocyte lineage cells (i.e. B/T cells)

Question 38

humoral effector mechanisms (adaptive immune response)

Answer 38

antibody-antigen binding causes several additional effector mechanisms: 1. toxins are neutralized, 2. extracellular bacteria is opsonized, 3. bacteria in the plasma is activated by a complement. all three processes lead to ingestion, the 3rd one has an added benefit of ‘punching holes’ (causing lysis) in bacteria