immune response to disease

Question 1

what does the immune system protect us from?

Answer 1

pathogens

Question 2

what are the main components of the immune system?

Answer 2

white blood cells

Question 3

how do white blood cells protect us?

Answer 3

phagocytes
producing antibodies

Question 4

how do phagocytes engulf pathogens?

Answer 4

phagocytosis

Question 5

what are the 2 main types of white blood cells?

Answer 5

phagocytes
lymphocytes

Question 6

explain phagocytosis in 6 steps?

Answer 6

1) phagocyte recognises pathogen
2) phagocyte engulfs pathogen in a process known as phagocytosis
3) the lysozymes containing enzymes move towards the pathogen
4) enzymes break down pathogen
5) useful materials are absorbed
6) waste products are removed from the phagocyte

Question 7

what type of cell membrane do phagocytes have?

Answer 7

a sensitive cell membrane that can detect chemicals produced by pathogenic cells

Question 8

what type of response do phagocytes have?

Answer 8

a non-specific immune response

Question 9

how can phagocytes be recognised through the microscope?

Answer 9

their multi-lobed nucleus and their granular cytoplasm

Question 10

how can lymphocytes be recognised under the microscope?

Answer 10

their large round nucleus which takes up the whole cell and their clear, non-granular cytoplasm

Question 11

what do lymphocytes produce?

Answer 11

antibodies

Question 12

what are antibodies?

Answer 12

Y-shaped proteins with a shape that is specific (complementary) to the antigens on the surface of the pathogen

Question 13

what type of response are lymphocytes producing antibodies?

Answer 13

a specific type of immune response as the antibodies produced will only fit one type of antigen on a pathogen

Question 14

what is formed when antibodies attach to the antigens?

Answer 14

agglutination (clumping together)

Question 15

what does agglutination mean?

Answer 15

the pathogenic cells cannot move very easily
at the same time, chemicals are released that signal to phagocytes that there are cells present that need to be destroyed

Question 16

what do lymphocytes also produce?

Answer 16

antitoxins to neutralise toxins released by pathogens

Question 17

what is the role of the immune system once a pathogen has entered the body?

Answer 17

prevent the infectious organism from reproducing and to destroy it

Question 18

when does an organism have immunity?

Answer 18

when they have sufficient levels of antibodies to protect it from a particular disease

Question 19

what do lymphocytes allow?

Answer 19

organisms to build up an immunity towards certain diseases

Question 20

what do lymphocytes multiply to produce?

Answer 20

antibodies

Question 21

what do antibodies do?

Answer 21

inactivate viruses

Question 22

how do lymphocytes build up immunity?

Answer 22

1) lymphocytes detect pathogen’s antigens
2) lymphocyte identifies the correct type of antibody to make, which is complementary to the pathogen’s antigen
3) lymphocyte releases large numbers of correct antibody
4) pathogens either clump together resulting in death or the antibodies trigger phagocytes- some pathogens can even burst
5) lymphocytes produce cells that produce lots of the antibody very quickly if they detect the same pathogen again. these are called memory cells

Question 23

what are anti-toxins?

Answer 23

some antibodies are specialised to combat toxins, chemicals released by the pathogen which cause cell damage