Immunity
Role: Defense Three major types of defense: - Physical and chemical barriers - Non-specific defense use various means - Specific defense: Immunity
Physical and chemical barriers Physical barriers: - skin, mucous, flow of tears, urine, saliva, earwax, defecation, vomiting Chemical barriers: -Enzymes in the stomach, on the skin, in tears, saliva -Low pH of gastric juice, vaginal secretions -Resident bacteria
Non-specific defenses Phagocytosis Inflammation Natural killer cells Complement system Interferon Fever
Phagocytosis
Inflammation
Natural killer cells Kill cells by perforing the membrane Promote inflammatory response Especially active against viral infections and cancerous cells
Complement system
Interferon
Fever Triggered by pyrogens, substances secreted by macrophages Slow down bacterial growth
Specific defense: Immunity Two categories : -Antibody-mediated immune response (AMI) against pathogens extrernal to the cell (bacteria, fungi) -Cell-mediated immune response (CMI) against pathogens internal to the cell (virus, cancer)
Characteristics It recognizes and targets specific pathogens or foreign substances, known as antigens It has memory It protects the entire body
What are antigens Antigens are proteins that are foreign to a body
What about our own cells? They have proteins on the cell membrane. These proteins define our identity and differentiate us from other beings These “self-markers” are known as the “Major Histocompatibility Complex” or MHC The immune system is able to differentiate between the two types of proteins
The main players Macrophages B lymphocytes Killer T lymphocyte Helper T Lymphocytes (and a macrophage)
AMI Goal: Attack external pathogens such as bacteria, fungi Cells involved: Macrophages, B lymphocytes (=B cells), plasma cells and helper T lymphocytes
Antibodies Role: Flag the pathogen (do not kill it directly) Promote phagocytosis Five types of antibodies - IgG: in the plasma, most abundant, long life, can cross the placenta - IgM: largest, first to respond, cannot cross the placenta - IgA: in mucous membranes, external secretions, throughout body - IgD: in lymph, on B cells - IgE: on B cells, mast cells, and basophils, trigger allergic responses
Antibody
CMI Goal: Attack internal pathogens such as virus infected cells and cancerous cells Cells involved: Macrophages, Killer T (or cytotoxic) lymphocytes (=killer T cells), plasma cells and helper T lymphocytes
AMI and CMI
Primary and secondary immune response
Types of immunization ActivePassive Natural Artificial
Bacterial resistance to antibiotics
Allergic reactions
Tissue rejection Implanted organs have a high risk of rejection, since no two persons are alike (except identical twins) Cell-mediated immunity is responsible for the reaction Upon receiving an organ, a person must take antirejection medications for life
Autoimmune disorders Lupus erythematosus: inflammation of the connective tissue Rheumatoid arthritis: Inflammation of the synovial membrane (joints) Diabetes mellitus, type I: destruction of the cells synthesizing insulin Multiple sclerosis: destruction of the sheath surrounding the axon of the nerve cells
Ebola vs Flu vs Cold
Human Immunodeficiency Virus
HIV prevalence