Immunology I Flashcards
What is Commensal Bacteria?
“Good” Bacteria
SYMBIOTIC relationship with the body
What do commensal bacteria do?
- produce BACTERICIDINS which influence other bacteria
- produce vitamins K and B12
- competition for nutrients
- antimicrobial short chain fatty acid production
- reduction in pH of large bowel
How I’m important are commensal bacteria?
Veryyyyyy
- eradication of normal flora with broad-spectrum antibiotics can result in opportunistic infection
What would happen if commensal bacteria was eradicated?
- organisms would very rapidly colonise undefended ecological niche
What disease would take place if commensal bacteria was removed?
- oral candidiasis
- vaginal candidiasis
- C.diff infection after intravenous antibiotics
**first two bulletpoints after oral antibiotics
What happens if external defences such a skin or mucous are breached?
IMMUNE SYSTEM ACTIVATION
What is an example of external barrier breach?
- wound
- pathogenic organism
What other forms of “breaching” are there?
- “hardware” such as catheters, nasogastric tubes, intravenous lines
- antibiotics
- other therapeutic
What are the cells in the immune system split into?
CELLS (Leukocytes and WBCs)
SOLUBLE FACTORS
What FIVE cells are found in the immune system?
PHAGOCYTES
LYMPHOCYTES
MAST CELLS
EOSINOPHILS
BASOPHILS
What do the PHAGOCYTES include?
MACROPHAGES
MONOCYTES
NEUTROPHILS
DENDRITIC CELLS
What are LYMPHOCYTES split into?
B cells
T cells
NK cells
What do the SOLUBLE FACTORS include?
Complement System Proteins
Anti-phase Proteins
Antibodies
Cytokines
What are ANTIBODIES?
PROTEINS produced in response to ANTIGENS
By what cells are antibodies produced?
Activated-antigen producing B cells
