Mrs. Wolodkowicz
Biology 1H
Infectious Disease & The Immune System
- Nonspecific Defenses (primary lines of defense).
- Body Defenses
- Inherited defense- species resistance to diseases.
- Surface membrane barriers (skin & mucus membranes).
- Sweat (pH of 3) inhibits bacterial growth on skin.
- Stomach mucosa secretes HCl (pH 2)
- Lacrimal fluid (tears).
- Mucus- traps invaders.
- Nonspecific Cellular & chemical defenses.
- Macrophages (monocyte) - white blood cells (leukocytes) that wonder the body engulfing invaders and then presenting the antigen (invaders protein) to the t-cells to prompt an immune response.
- Neutrophils (most common WBC) - engulf invader and release defensins (antibiotic chemicals) & bleach. They destroy the invader & themselves.
- Natural Killers- lyse cancer & viral infected cells (inject perforin- creates pores in the invaders cell membrane that floods the cell with calcium & kills it (found in large numbers in Cancer & AIDs patients.
- Inflammatory response- chemical response to infection that leads to redness, heat, swelling, pain, runny nose, etc. (brings WBC’s, to location via increase blood flow).
- Fever- body temperature is regulated by the hypothalamus. Normal temp (37oC/98.6oF. Pyrogens (WBC’s) stimulate the body to shiver, increase metabolism. Once top temperature is reached (crisis), individual sweats to reduce temperature. Death at 112oF or below 70of.
- Specific Body Defenses (Immune System) trained cells that act on specific pathogens only.
- B lymphocytes- Include Antibodies & memory cells
- Antibodies (immunoglobulin’s) - proteins that are specific to invaders and immobilize them until complement comes in and destroys it.
- Memory Cells- circulate the body ready to attack if it encounters the invader it is specific to later on.
- T lymphocytes- control cell mediated immunity. Include: Regulatory Cells-Helper T & Suppressor T & Effector Cells- Cytotoxic T Cells.
- Immune response:
- Macrophage (scout) engulfs invader and presents antigen to Helper T cell (general of the immune system).
- Helper T cell releases Interleukin 2 which tells the T cells which invader is present and for those T cells that are specific to it to proliferate.
- Cytotoxic T cells dock onto target cell, release perforin which kills your cell & the invader (2hrs for death).
- Suppressor cells release chemicals to suppress the battle.
- Treatment and Cures
- Antibiotics- used to treat and cure an illness (typically bacterial) once the person is already sick. Does not work on Viruses.
- Vaccine-living or dead organism given prior to an illness to stimulate the creation of memory B cells.
- Diseases
- Leukemia- cancer of the WBC
- Hypersensitivities (allergies)- abnormally vigorous immune response
- Autoimmune Disease- immune system believes that your cells are invaders and attacks them. Diabetes Mellitus & Multiple Sclerosis.