*Immunology 1 (lectures 1 and 2) Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in *Immunology 1 (lectures 1 and 2) Deck (63)
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1
Q

SCID?

What is it?

A

Severe combined immunodeficiency

Severe abnormalities of the immune system

2
Q

5 things caused by the immune system going wrong?

A
Cancer
recurrent infections
Transplant rejection
Allergies
Autoimmune disease
3
Q

6 causes of emergence of new infections?

A
Global village
population growth
change in human behaviour
changes in dynamic of other infections 
loss of natural habitat
Interactions of pathogens with humans e.g. resistance
4
Q

What exists between pathogens and hosts

A

Evolutionary arms race

5
Q

Where do pathogens infect the body through?

A
Mucosal surfaces (airway, GI tract, repro. tract)
External epithelia (wounds, insect bites, etc.)
6
Q

5 components of the body that protect against infection?

A
Lymph nodes
Spleen
Lymphatics
Bone Marrow
Skin
7
Q

How does the skin protect against infection?

A
Physical barrier (highly packed, highly keratinised, multilayered cells)
Physiological barrier (low pH (5.5), low O2 tension)
Sebaceous glands (secrete hydrophobic oil, lysozyme (destroys bacterial cell wall), ammonia (anti-bacf. properties), defensins (anti-microbial peptides))
8
Q

What does mucous line

A

All cavities that come into contact with the environment e.g. resp, GI, urogenital

9
Q

How does mucous prevent infection?

A

Physical barrier
contains IgA
contains enzymes (lysozyme, defensins)
Contains lactoferrin (starves invading bacteria of iron)

10
Q

what do cilia do

A

Directly trap pathogens

aid in the removal of mucous

11
Q

How does commensal bacteria help to prevent infection?

A

Competes with pathogenic microbes for scarce resources
Produces fatty acids and bactericidns
reduce pH in large bowel
Synthesise vitamin K and B12

12
Q

What is bactericidin

A

An antibody that causes complement dependent lysis of bacteria

13
Q

What does eradication of normal flora by board spectrum antibiotics often cause?

A

Opportunistic infection

14
Q

Probiotics

A

Live bacteria and east that are good for your health

15
Q

Immune system?

A

Network of specialised cells, tissues and soluble factors that co-operate to kill and eliminate disease-causing pathogens and cancer cells

16
Q

4 classes of pathogen

A

Extracellular bacteria, parasites, fungi
Intracellular bacteria, parasites
Viruses (intracellular)
Parasitic worms (Extracellular)

17
Q

See mind map study material for info about components of the immune system

A

-

18
Q

Antigen

A

Any substance that can stimulate an immune response

19
Q

Complement system

A

Family of approx. 30 different proteins

20
Q

Where is complement produced?

A

In the liver

21
Q

What do antibodies provide defence against?

A

Extracellular pathogens and toxins

22
Q

Where do complement proteins become activated?

A

infected/ inflamed tissues

23
Q

What do complement proteins have the ability to do?

A

enzymatically cleave and activate other downstream complement proteins in a biological cascade

24
Q

Name for chemical messanger

A

cytokine

25
Q

Summarised role of cytokines

A

co-ordinates the immune system

26
Q

4 examples of cytokines?

A

Interferons, tumour necrosis factor, chemokines, interleukins

27
Q

Interferons?

A

Anti-viral activity

28
Q

Tumour necrosis factor

A

Pro-inflammatory cytokine

29
Q

Chemokines?

A

Control and directs cell migration

30
Q

Interleukins

A

Various functions e.g. inflammatory mediator, stimulate T lymphocytes to become NK cells

31
Q

Phagocytic cells?

A

Monocytes, macrophages, neutrophils (ingest bacteria and fungi and clear debris from the body

32
Q

What is an important source of cytokines which regulate acute inflammatory response?

A

Phagocytic cells

33
Q

Where do monocytes differentiate into macrophages

A

in peripheral tissues

34
Q

what are macrophages

A

Long lived tissues resident phagocytes

35
Q

What are the functions of macrophages

A

to clear cellular debris and engulf and kill pathogens

36
Q

Where are kupffer cells located and what is their function

A

Liver

RBC breakdown

37
Q

Location of alveolar macrophages

A

lung alveoli

38
Q

location of mesangial cells

A

kidneys

39
Q

location of microgal cells

A

CNS

40
Q

Additional functions of macrophages (3)

A

limit inflammation
involved in tissue repair and wound healing
involved in antigen presentation

41
Q

Other name for neutrophils

Half life

A

Polymorphonuclear cells

Less than 6 hours (short)

42
Q

Where are neutrophils found?

A

Circulate the blood and are rapidly recruited into inflamed, damaged and infected tissues

43
Q

How do dendritic cells work?

A

Present in peripheral tissues where they are in an immature state
They phagocytose an antigen
Then mature and migrate into secondary lymphoid tissue where they play a key role in antigen presentation

44
Q

Which carries out more killing and degradation compared to antigen presentation, neutrophils or macrophages?

A

Neutrophils

45
Q

Where are mast cells found?

Purpose?

A

In tissues

protect mucosal surfaces

46
Q

Where are basophils and eosinophils found

A

circulate in blood and are recruited to sites of infection inflammatory signals

47
Q

What do basophils and eosinophils do (3)

A

Release chemicals such as histamine, heparin and cytokines producing acute inflammation
Defence system against large pathogens that cannot be phagocytosed e.g. parasitic worms
key role in mediating allergic responses

48
Q

Are NK cells part of the innate or adaptive immune system

A

Innate

49
Q

What are NK cells

A

Large granular lymphocytes

50
Q

What can NK cells do?

A

Kill tumour cells and virally infected cells, can also kill antibody-bound cells and pathogens

51
Q

Where are B and T cells found?

A

Constantly circulating through the blood, lymph and secondary lymphoid tissues

52
Q

When are t and b cells activated

A

When they meet a pathogen/ antigen

53
Q

What are B cells responsible for

A

The production and secretion of antibodies to defend against extracellular pathogens

54
Q

What type of pathogens do T cells defend against?

A

Intracellular pathogens (viruses, mycobacterium)

55
Q

Types of T cells and role

A

Helper T cells (key immune system regulators)

Cytotoxic T cells (kill virally infected body cells)

56
Q

What is immunological memory

A

Once the adaptive immune system has recognised and responded to a specific antigen, it exhibits life-long immunity to this antigen (mediated by memory T cells and B cells)

57
Q

Innate immune system?

A

Rapid (mins-hrs), general response to many different pathogens

58
Q

Adaptive immune system

A

slow (days), unique response to each individual pathogen mediated by T and B lymphocytes and responsible for generating immunological memory

59
Q

What is primary lymphoid tissues?

A

Sites of leukocyte development

60
Q

What are secondary lymphoid tissues?

A

Sites where adaptive immune responses are initiated (contain T cells, B cells and dendritic cells

61
Q

What is the lymphatic system?

A

System of vessels draining fluid from body tissues - lymph nodes are positioned regularly along lymph vessels (trap pathogens and antigens in lymph)

62
Q

What is lymphoedema?

A

Condition of localised fluid retention and tissue swelling caused by a compromised lymphatic system, which normally returns interstitial fluid to the thoracic duct and then the bloodstrem

63
Q

Causes of lymphoedema?

A

Inherited
Cancer treatments
Parasitic infections