The Immune System Flashcards
what are some general barriers of the immune system?
nutrition, fever, age, genetics
what triggers fever?
exogenous pyrogen ie LPS
physical and chemical barriers of the immune system
skin, eyes (lysozyme) , respiratory tract (cilia, coughing etc), mucus, acid in stomach
where is mucus produced?
goblet cells
what is mucus composed of?
mucin and other proteins, electrolytes and lipids
what destroys pathogens in the small intestine?
pancreatic enzymes, bile and antibody
what is pathogenesis?
entry, colonization, growth and progression of a diseased state
what is virulence?
the ability of a pathogen to cause disease
what is attenuation?
loss of virulence, can be temporary or permanent (used in vaccines)
what are the primary lymphoid organs?
bone marrow and thymus, produce immune cells
what are the secondary lymphoid organs?
lymph nodes, spleen and MALT
what is the lymphatic system?
a network of vessels and organs that remove toxins, waste and unwanted products from the body
role of the lymphatic system?
- removal of interstitial fluid from tissues
2. monitor for infection and tissue damage
what is lymph?
clear fluid containing leukocytes
where does lymph drain back into the bloodstream?
left subclavian vein via thoracic duct
What is innate immunity?
non specific
- interferons
- neutrophils, dendritic cells, macrophages detect pathogens
- cytokines
what is the adaptive immune response?
tailored to specific pathogen, long lasting, only in vertebrates
what is chemotaxis?
immune cell move around the body against concentration gradient of chemotactic molecules
what receptors do phagocytes have that detect the presence of bacteria and viruses?
pattern recognition receptors
what do pattern recognition receptors do?
recognize danger signals on bacteria and viruses called pathogen associated molecular patterns PAMP
subclass of cytokine
interleukins
interleukin functions
mediate interactions between leukocytes, bridge innate and adaptive immune systems, are released from cells after PAMP recognitions by PRRs
what do cytokines bind to?
high affinity receptors or target cells which trigger activation and proliferation
what are interferons?
small secreted cytokines that trigger anti viral responses in cells, control virus infections
what is used to treat hep c virus ?
recombinant IFNa
what is an antigen?
a molecule or molecular structure present at the outside of a pathogen that is recognized by B and T cells
what is an antigen composed of?
peptide, polysaccharides and glycolipids
what produces antibodies?
B lymphocytes
