Session 7 - Liver, gallbladder and pancreas 2 Flashcards
Outline 7 different “toxins” which we willfully put into our GI tract
- Chemical
- Bacteria
- Viruses
- Protozoa
- Nematodes (Roundworms)
- Cestodes (Tapeworms)
- Trematodes (flukes)
What are the two overall defence mechanisms available to the GI tract to defend it from toxins
• Innate
Adaptive
What are the two parts of the innate immune system?
- Physical
* Cellular
Describe 8 physical innate defences
- Sight/smell
- Memory
- Saliva
- Stomach acid
- Small intestine secretions
- Colonic mucus
- Anaerobic environment
- Peristalsis/Segmentation
How does sight/smell work as a physical innate defence?
• If food looks or smells bad you won’t eat it
How does memory work as a physical innate defence?
• If food tastes bad, you won’t eat it next time
Give three reasons saliva is an integral part of the physical innate defence of the GI tract?
- pH 7.0
- Contains lysozyme, lactoperoxidase, complement, IgA and polymorphs
- Washes toxins down into the stomach
What is the clinical condition in which there is reduced salivary flow?
Xerostomia
Give two causes of xerostomia
- Severe illness
* And/or dehydration
What does xerostomia cause?
- Microbial overgrowth in the mouth and dental caries
* Parotitis
What organism causes parotitis?
• Staph aureus
How does stomach acid serve as a physical innate defence?
• Low pH kills the majority of bacteria and viruses
What condition can make the stomach a less effective defence?
- Achlorhydria
* Makes more susceptible to shigellosis, cholera and salmonella infection
What can cause achlorhydria?
- Pernicous anaemia
- H2 antagonists
PPIs
What are people taking PPI’s more at risk of if they have achlorhydria if in hospital?
Clostridium difficile infection
Name three organisms resistant to stomach acid
- Mycobacterium Tuberculosis is resistant to gastric acid (Acid and alcohol fast bacterium)
- Enteroviruses - Hep A, Polio and Coxsackie are resistant to gastric acid
- Helicobacter Pylori produces urease which acts on urea to produce a protective cloud of pneumonia
What four properties of small intestinal secretions allow it to repel GI invaders
- Bile
- Proteolytic enzymes
- Lack of nutrients
Shedding of epithelial cells
How does the colonic mucus protect the GI system?
Separates epithelial wall from its contents
How does peristalsis/segmentation prevent GI disease?
• Normal intestinal transit time is 12-18 hours. If peristalsis slow, gut infections are prolonged.
Give five cellular innate defences of the GI tract
• Neutrophils • Macrophages ○ Kupfer cells in the liver • Natural killer cells • Tissue Mast Cells • Eosinophils ○ Parasitic infections
How does the hepatic portal system aid in GI defence
• All venous blood from the GI tract passes through the liver before returning to systemic circulation
Kupffer cells are specialised macrophages in the liver which clear debris and toxins
Outline three adaptive cellular defences of the GI tract
- B lymphocytes
- T lymphocytes
- Lympatic tissue
What do B lymphocytes do?
• Produce antibodies including IgA and IgE that are particularly effective against extracellular microbes
What do T lymphocytes do?
• Directed against intracellular organisms