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