Chap 3 Vocab Flashcards
(51 cards)
Acantholysis
Dissolution of the intercellular bridges of the prickle cell layer of the epithelium.
Acquired immune response
An immune response to a foreign substance based on the specific memory of a past exposure to that same foreign substance.
Active Immunity
An immunity based on antibodies developed in response to an antigen, which includes both natural and acquired types.
Adjuvants
The agents that can be added to a vaccine to modify the immune response.
Allergen
An antigen that produces a hypersensitivity or allergic reaction.
Angioedema
A lesion that appears as a diffuse swelling of tissue caused by increased permeability of deeper blood vessels. The skin covering the swelling appears normal.
Antibody
A protein molecule or immunoglobulin that is secreted by plasma cells and reacts with a specific antigen; includes five classes: IgA, IgD, IgE, IgG, and IgM.
Antibody titer
The level of antibody in the blood that can be measured by a diagnostic laboratory test.
Antigen
Any substance able to induce a specific immune response.
Attenuated
The ability to reduce the virulence of a pathogenic microorganism but still keep it viable, as is done in the development of certain vaccines.
Autoantibody
An antibody that reacts against a tissue constituent of one’s own body.
Autoimmune disease
An immunopathologic condition characterized by tissue trauma caused by an immune response against tissue constituents of one’s own body.
B-cell lymphocyte
A lymphocyte that develops in lymphoid tissue other than the thymus and that can later differentiate into a plasma cell that produces antibody, the main initiator of humoral immunity.
Cell-mediated immunity
An immunity in which the major role is played by T-cell lymphocytes.
Cytokines
The proteins produced by various cell types for the purpose of intercellular communication or signaling; immunologic cytokines are involved as biochemical mediators in the immune response.
Dendritic cell
A white blood cell that acts as an antigen-presenting cell in the skin and mucosa.
Dysgeusia
An alteration in taste.
Focus
A collection of 50 or more lymphocytes clustered within the salivary gland parenchyma (1 focus = 50 or more lymphocytes). A focus score of 1 or more is compatible with a diagnosis of Sjögren syndrome.
Herd immunity
A type of indirect protection from an infectious disease that occurs when a large percentage of the population becomes immune to the infection.
Humoral immunity
An immunity in which both the B-cell lymphocytes and the antibodies they produce as plasma cells play a predominant role.
Hypersensitivity
An altered state of reactivity in which the body reacts to a foreign agent such as an allergen with an exaggerated immune response; includes types I through IV.
Hyposalivation
Decreased salivary flow that may result in xerostomia (dry mouth).
Immune complex
The combination of an antibody and antigen, producing a complex that can initiate a hypersensitivity or allergic reaction.
Immunity
An increased responsiveness that results from the retained memory of an already encountered antigen.
