The Immune Responses (M) Flashcards
What is adaptive system and what is its purpose?
It is developed in a host primarily to protect the host from harmful effects of pathogens and other foreign substances
What are the 2 types of adaptive response?
1) Antibody-mediated (humoral)
2) Cell-mediated (cellular)
What is humoral adaptive response (actions brought by this response are to what)?
It acts mainly against extracellular pathogens, or those pathogen that infects outside a host cell
What is cellular adaptive response (action of this response is to what)?
It acts against intracellular pathogens, or those pathogens that infect host cells
What are the 2 important components in humoral immunity?
1) Antibodies
2) Complement
* hence, humoral immunity is based on the action of these components
What type of bacteria does humoral immunity react to?
1) Extracellular bacteria
2) Bacteria whose virulence is due to polysaccharide capsules
What are the examples of extracellular bacteria (being acted upon by humoral immunity)?
1) Corynebacterium diphtheriae
2) Clostridium tetani
What are the examples of bacteria having polysaccharide capsules (being acted upon by humoral immunity)?
1) Haemophilus influenzae
2) Neisseria meningitidis
3) Streptococcus pneumoniae
Does humoral immunity also acts to viruses?
Yes
Humoral immunity acts to viruses that have the capability to infect what organs / parts of the human body?
Viruses that can infect through:
1) Respiratory tract
2) Intestinal tract
Humoral immunity also participates in the pathogenesis of what?
Hypersensitivity reactions and certain autoimmune diseases
What is the main feature of humoral immune responses?
Antibody production
What are the different phases in the process of production of Abs?
1) Lag phase
2) Log phase
3) Plateau
4) Decline phase
What is lag phase (and its characteristics)?
1) It is the immediate phase following exposure to Ag
2) During this phase, no Abs are detected in the circulation
What is log phase (and its characteristics)?
1) It is the phase next to lag phase
2) It is characterized by a steady rise in Ab titers in the circulation
What is plateau (and its characteristics)?
It is a phase of equilibrium bet Ab synthesis and catabolism
What is decline phase (and its characteristics)?
It is characterized by an increase in the catabolism of Abs compared to the production of Abs, leading to a fall in Ab titer in the circulation
What are the 2 types of humoral response?
1) Primary response
2) Secondary response
What are the characteristics of primary response (humoral response)?
1) Ab is detectable after a longer lag period than the secondary response
2) Lag period is typically 7 - 10 days or longer depending on the nature of Ag, the dose of Ag, and the route of administration (oral or parenteral)
3) Slow, sluggish, and short-lived Abs
4) Low Ab titer
5) IgM is the 1st Ab to be formed, followed by IgG, IgA, or both
6) IgM lvls tend to decline sooner as compared to IgG lvls
Do primary response (in humoral response) have a longer or shorter lag period?
Longer
If primary response (in humoral response) has a longer lag period (than secondary response of humoral immunity), how long is the lag period? And if primary response (in humoral response) has a shorter lag period (than secondary response of humoral immunity), how short is the lag period?
The lag period of primary response (of humoral immunity) is longer compared to the lag period of secondary response (of humoral immunity), the lag period is typically 7 - 10 days or longer
What is the basis of duration (for Ags) of lag phase (in primary response of humoral response)?
Depending on the:
1) Nature of Ag
2) The dose of Ag
3) The route of administration
What are the different methods of route of administration of Ag (where the period of lag phase is dependent on; primary response of humoral immunity)?
1) Oral
2) Parenteral
What Ig is 1st to be formed in the lag phase of primary response (in humoral immunity)?
IgM
What is the order of production of Igs that are formed in the lag phase of primary response (in humoral immunity)?
1) IgM
2) IgG
3) IgA
2. 1 / 3.1) Both IgG and IgA
W/c Ig tends to decline sooner in the lag phase of primary response (in humoral immunity)?
IgM lvls tend to decline sooner as compared to IgG lvls
What are the characteristics of secondary response (of humoral immunity)?
1) Rapid Ab response due to 2nd encounter w/ the same Ag, or a closely related “cross-reacting” Ag
2) Lag period is typically very short (3 - 5 days)
3) Prompt, powerful, and prolonged response
4) Higher lvl of Abs for longer period
5) Predominantly IgG
6) These changes in secondary response are attributed to the persistence of Ag-specific “memory cells” following the 1st contact w/ the Ag
7) These memory cells proliferate in large #s to produce large clones of specific B cells and plasma cells that mediate the secondary response
Why does rapid Ab response occur in the secondary response (of humoral immunity)?
Due to the 2nd encounter w/ the same Ag, or a closely related “cross-reacting” Ag
Is the lag period in secondary response (of humoral immunity) short or long?
Short, typically very short
If secondary response (in humoral response) has a longer lag period (than primary response of humoral immunity), how long is the lag period? Or if secondary response (in humoral response) has a shorter lag period (than primary response of humoral immunity), how short is the lag period?
The lag period of secondary response (of humoral immunity) is shorter (or very short) compared to the lag period of primary response (of humoral immunity), the lag period is typically very short having 3 - 5 days
What is the predominant type of Ig present in the lag phase of secondary response (of humoral immunity)?
IgG
What type of cells are responsible for occurrence of changes of secondary response (of humoral immunity) from primary response (of humoral immunity)?
Memory cells
True or False.
Memory cells are not Ag-specific. Why or why not?
False, because memory cells are Ag-specific
What is the purpose of memory cells’ proliferation (or memory cells itself)?
These memory cells proliferate in large #s to produce large clones of specific B cells and plasma cells that mediate the secondary response
What are the types of cells that mediate the secondary response (of humoral immunity)?
1) Specific B cells
2) Plasma cells
Synthesis and production of Abs typically is dependent to what?
It is dependent to the complex interaction of 3 cells
What are the 3 types of cells that are being dependent on when it comes to synthesis and production of Abs?
1) Macrophages
2) Helper T cells
3) B cells
What is the meaning of APC?
Antigen presenting cells
What is the purpose of APCs?
To present Ags to immunocompetent cells
What are the examples of APCs?
1) Macrophages
2) Dendritic cells
What happens after the processing of Ags by macrophage?
The fragments of Ag appear on the surfaces of macrophage in association w/ class II MHC proteins
What is the purpose of Ag-class II MHC protein complex?
Binds to specific receptors present on the surface of Th cells (helper T cells)
What is the purpose of Th cells?
To produce cytokines
What is the purpose of cytokines (being produced by Th cells)?
To activate B cells
What is the purpose of B cells?
To produce Abs that are specific for an Ag
What are the activated cytokines?
1) IL - 2
2) IL - 4
3) IL - 5
What is the function of IL - 2?
T-cell growth factor
What is the function of IL - 4?
B-cell growth factor
What is the function of IL - 5?
B-cells differentiation factor
What happens to activated B cells?
Activated B cells undergo clonal proliferation and differentiate to form plasma cells
What is the purpose of plasma cells?
To produce specific Igs
What are the major functions of Abs?
1) Neutralization of toxins and viruses
2) Opsonization (coating) of the pathogen, w/c aids its uptake by phagocytic cells
3) Complement activation
What are the 2 important functions of B cells?
1) Recognize Ags w/ their surface IgM that acts as an Ag receptor
2) Present epitopes to Th cells in association w/ class II MHC proteins
What are the factors affecting Ab production?
1) Genetic
2) Age
3) Nutritional status
4) Route of antigen
5) Dose of antigen
6) Multiple antigens
7) Adjuvants
What is the principle of how does genetic factor affect Ab production?
The response is controlled by immune response (Ir) gene located in the short arm of 6th chromosome
What gene controls the response in terms of Ab production?
Immune response (Ir) gene
Where is Ir gene located?
It is located in the short arm of 6th chromosome
What is the principle of how does age factor affect Ab production?
Full immunologic competence is achieved by about the age of 5 - 7 years for IgG, and 10 - 15 yrs for IgA by the development of lymphoid organs
What is the duration (or age) of achieving full immunologic competence for IgG (for age factor affecting Ab production)?
5 - 7 yrs
What is the duration (or age) of achieving full immunologic competence for IgA (for age factor affecting Ab production)?
10 - 15 yrs
What is the principle of how does nutritional status factor affect Ab production?
Deficiencies of amino acid and vitamins have shown to decrease the production of Abs
What are the components that causes decrease production of Abs (in terms of nutritional status affecting Ab production)?
Deficiencies of:
1) AA
2) Vitamins
What is the principle of how does route of Ag factor affect Ab production?
Parenteral administration of the Ag induces a better immune response than the oral or nasal routes
What type of route of transmission of Ag induces a better immune response (in terms of route of Ag affecting Ab production)?
Parenteral administration
What is the principle of how does dose of Ag factor affect Ab production?
1) A min. critical dose of Ag is essential to elicit an optimum immunological response
2) A very high or small dose fails to stimulate the immune system, a phenomenon is referred to as immunological paralysis
What is immunological paralysis?
It is a phenomenon that occurs where a very high or small dose of Ag fails to stimulate the immune system of an individual
What is the principle of how does multiple Ags factor affect Ab production?
Ab responses to 1 or more Ags may be diminished due to antigenic competition, or enhanced as seen after vaccination w/ triple vaccine (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus), or may be similar
What is the triple vaccine (or 3 vaccines) that enhances Ab:Ag rxn (1:1 or more)?
1) Diphtheria
2) Pertussis
3) Tetanus
What are adjuvants?
These are substances that enhance the immunogenicity of an Ag
What are the purposes of adjuvants?
1) They delay the release of an Ag from the site of injection
2) They prolong the antigenic stimulus
What are the substances that are used as adjuvants?
1) Freund’s incomplete adjuvant
2) Freund’s complete adjuvant
3) Aluminum salts
4) Others, such as silica particles, beryllium sulfate, endotoxin, etc.
What is the characteristic of Freund’s incomplete adjuvant?
It is a protein Ag incorporated in H2O phase of H2O in oil emulsion
What is the characteristic of Freund’s complete adjuvant?
It is an incomplete adjuvant along w/ the suspension of killed tubercle bacilli
What bacteria is present (or incorporated) in Freund’s complete adjuvant?
Killed tubercle bacilli
What are the aluminum salts used as adjuvants?
1) Phosphate
2) Hydroxide