Primary + secondary responses, autoimmune diseases

Question 1

What occurs in the primary response?

Answer 1

• Slow
• Low antibody production
• Doesn’t provide immunity
• Time lag

Question 2

What occurs in the secondary response?

Answer 2

• Rapid
• Antibody production much greater
• Many memory cells produced
• Clonal expansion rapid = Antibody production rapid
• Shorter time lag
• Makes excessive antigens than needed
• Steeper slope on graph

Question 3

Why is the primary response slow?

Answer 3

Since we need to make antigen specific lymphocytes by activation, clonal selection, clonal expansion, and making into memory cells

Question 4

What happens when the pathogen is gone?

Answer 4

T regulator cells suppress the immune system acting as control + stop immune system once pathogen eliminated

Also makes sure body recognises self-antigens + doesn’t set up autoimmune response

Question 5

What are autoimmune diseases?

Answer 5

Where the body stops recognising self-cells + immune system starts to attack healthy body tissues

Question 6

What causes autoimmune diseases?

Answer 6

Could be genetic link but scientists not sure

Or could be due to tendency to respond abnormally to mild pathogen or ineffective T regulator cells

Question 7

What are examples of autoimmune diseases?

Answer 7

Type 1 diabetes, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis

Question 8

What treatment is there available? Whats wrong with it?

Answer 8

Immunosuppressant drugs

Prevents immune system working, but deprives body of its natural defences against communicable diseases