Introduction Flashcards
What is immunology?
state of protection from infectious diseases
What is vaccination?
administration of an attenuated (weakened) strain of a pathogen to provide immunity against a disease
What is herd immunity?
vaccinating as many individuals as possible to prevent the spread of disease to susceptible individuals
What does immunity involve?
- hormonal immunity
- cell-mediated immunity
What is hormonal immunity?
the immunity derived from body humors (fluid)
What causes hormonal immunity?
immunoglobulins
What are immunoglobulins?
antibodies
What are antibodies a product of?
B lymphocytes
What are the two types of immunity?
passive and active
What is passive immunity?
transfer of immunity from one individual to another
Is passive immunity long term or short term? Why?
short term because it does not transfer cells
What is active immunity?
production of one’s own immunity
How is active immunity achieved?
by vaccination or contraction of disease
Is active immunity long term or short term?
long term
What is cell-mediated immunity?
immunity derived from T lymphocytes
What are T lymphocytes derived from?
the thymus
What are antigens?
any substance that elicits a specific response by B or T lymphocytes
What can antigens be?
pathogenic or non-pathogenic, self or non-self
What does pathogenic mean?
harmful to the body, causes disease
What are self antigens?
antigens within one’s own body
What should self antigens do?
they should not illicit an immune response
What are non-self antigens?
antigens that are not natural to one’s own body
What should non-self antigens do?
they will cause an immune response
What is clonal selection?
when a lymphocyte encounters the antigen it is specific for, the lymphocyte will rapidly divide to produce many clones of itself