The Immune System Flashcards
What does the term immunity mean?
The ability of an individual to resist disease
What does the process phagocytosis mean?
Specialist cells are able to form a protective mechanism against foreign microbes
Outline the roles of the immune system;
(1) defence against microbes
(2) defence against the growth of tumour cells -kills their growth
(3) homeostasis - destruction of abnormal or dead cells
Outline two types of immunity
- innate immunity
- adaptive immunity
What are the two major functions of innate immunity?
1) initial prevention, control or elimination of infective until adaptive immune responses are activated
2) stimulation of adaptive immune responses to be optimally effective against different types of microbes
What is the function of monocytes/ macrophages?
- killing of microorganisms
- monocyte is a young macrophage in blood
- antigen presentation
-there are tissue-specific macrophages
What do macrophages include?
-> alveolar macrophages - lung
-> histoocytes - connective tissue
-> mesangial cells - kidney
-> microglial cells- brain
-> Kupffer cells - liver
-> osteoclast- bone
Describe dendritic cells;
Activiation of T cells and initiate adaptive immunity
Found mainly in lymphoid tissue
Why are mast cells important?
Expulsion of parasites through release of granules
Also involved in allergic responses
Why is phagocytosis so important?
Short life span
Important at clearing bacterial infections
What is the function of eosinophils?
Kills Ab-coated parasites through degranulation
Why are eosinophils involved in allergic inflammation ?
Strong cells to fight parasites
Double lobed nucleus
Outline basophils ?
A cell-killing cell
Blue granules contain toxic and inflammatory compounds eg-histamine
Important in allergic reactions
Outline two types of T lymphocytes?
T helper cells
Cytotoxic T lymphocytes
Why are T helper cells important for the T lymphocyte?
Express cytokines to coordinate the immune response
