Primary Immunodeficiency Disorders Flashcards
What is the difference between an autoimmune disease and a hypersensitivity?
Autoimmune- an organisms “self” cells are attacked by the immune system.
Hypersensitivity- the immune system reacts in excess to a seemingly harmless substance like pollen
What is a situation where we intentionally disregulate the immune system?
Use immunosuppressives to avoid transplant rejection
What is the difference between a primary and secondary immunodeficiency?
Primary- a gene defect (inherited)
Secondary- arises from infection (HIV), autoimmunity against immune cells, malignancies, steroid/drugs
What can primary immunodeficiency lead to?
Cancer because the immune system will not be able to control infections or cancer cells
What are 4 examples of your immune system “doing too much”?
- Autoimmune- attacks its own cells
- Hypersensitivity- overreaction to antigens
- Transplant rejection by host attacking donor
- GVHD when the donor tissue attacks the recipient
What kind of gene defect causes most PID?
single gene defect
What is the accepted prevalence of PID?
1/10,000 so about 400 babies a year in the US
Over 50% of PID are due to a defect in what?
Ab
The clinical presentation of PID depends on _______________________.
The component of the immune system that is deficient
What are the research validated warning signs that someone has a PID?
- Recurrent infections
- Infection by strange organisms
- Need for IV antibiotics to clear infection
- Family history of PID
- Failure to thrive
Failure to thrive in an infant is usually a defect in what structure in the immune system?
Need for IV antibiotics is usually a defect in what ?
Failure to thrive- T cell defect
IV antibiotics- phagocytic defect
What percent of WBCs is lymphocytes?
What percent of the lymphocytes are Bcells?
40% of WBC are lymphocytes
20% of lymphocytes are B cells
What percent of serum proteins are Ig?
What Ig is also found in secretions?
30% of serum proteins
IgA
What are the 3 ways that Ab participate in host defense?
- Neutralization- prevent toxin from acting on a host because a toxin can bind a cell receptor but toxin-Ab complex cannot
- Opsonization- extracellular bacteria are coated with Ab so they can be recognized by FcR on macrophages and other phagocytic cells
- Complement activation- Ag:Ab complexes activate the classical pathway of complement activation
What Ab crosses the placenta?
After the baby is born, when does it drop to the lowest level?
IgG–> nadir at 3-4 months
When do Ab levels reach adult levels?
10 years of age
If a baby has a defect in Ab production, when will you see clinical manifestation?
starting at about 3 months because that is when the mothers IgG no longer offers protective function
What are the five major disorders linked to faulty Ab production/B cell defect?
- Transient hypogammaglobulinemia in infancy
- IgA deficiency
- Hyper IgM
- X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA)
- CVID (common variable immunodeficiency)
What is the clinical presentation of transient hypogammaglobulinemia?
Prolonged IgG nadir so at about 3 months, the child will have low IgG, but normal IgA, IgM and IgE.
They respond to vaccines
What is the clinical presentation of IgA deficiency? (age of onset, deficient Ig)
The patient will have a complete absence of IgA.
The age of onset is variable.
What is the most common B-cell defect?
IgA deficiency
What is the presentation of CVID?
low IgG, with low IgA and/or IgM IgE
Most commonly associated with GI/respiratory problems.
Inadequate response to vaccines
Why would someone develop Hyper IgM?
if the B-cell is unable to class switch from IgM to IgE IgA IgG in the germinal center
What is the other name for X-linked agammaglobulinemia? What are the characteristics of this disorder?
Bruton’s agammaglobulinemia–> the patient will have no Ab because there is a defect in BTK (bruton’s tyrosine kinase) so the B cell can’t develop
What are the six major ways a person with Ab deficiency usually present?
- recurrent infections/sepsis (esp with encaspulated bacteria)
- Bronchiectasis
- Gastroentiritis
- Enteroviral meningoencephalitis
- Arthritis
- Infections by: encapsulated bacteria, GNR, Ureaplasma, enterovirus, protozoa (Giardia)
If you were looking at a histological sample of a patient’s spleen, and you noticed that it lacked germinal centers, what disorder would you hypothesize they had?
Bruton’s agammaglobulinemia (XLA)
What molecular defect is linked with XLA?
Defect in BTK
What molecular defects are linked with CVID?
CD19, ICOS, TACI, BAFF
Which B-cell immunodeficiency diseases are responsive to IgG therapy?
- XLA
2. CVID
What is the major sign that a patient has CVID?
They are unable to make Ab to vaccines
In what B-cell immunodeficiency disorder is there a lack of B cells?
XLA
What fraction of circulating lymphocytes are T cells?
2/3
What signal complex allows B-cells to isotype class switch from IgM to the other Igs?
CD40/CD40L (T-cell dependent)
CD40- B cell
CD40L- T cell
What immunodeficiency disorder could be a B-cell defect OR a T-cell defect?
- Hyper IgM (because to class switch you need CD40/CD40L interaction between B and T cells)
- some strains of SCID
What are the 5 features of a T-cell deficiency?
- recurrent severe or unusual viral infections
- Infections after live vaccines
- Failure to thrive
- GVHD from mother’s T-cells or blood transfusions
- Infections with mycobacteria, fungi, viruses
How many different molecular defects can cause SCID?
over 14
What is the only treatment for SCID?
SCT
All forms of SCID have no ______, however some forms many or may not have _____ or _____ cells.
SCID is associated with no T-cells
Some forms also lack B and/or NK cells