Immune System Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is the other name for White blood cells?
Leukocytes
What is he differnce between the two types of WBC ( Argranulocyes and Granulocytes)
Agranulocyes is clear and dies not have granules whereas Granulocytes have granules.
What are two types of Agranulocytes?
Monocytes and Lymphocytes
What is a type of monocyte?
Macrophages
What are the three cells of Lymphocytes
B cells, T cells and Natural killer cells
What is the differences between monocytes and Lymphocytes? (Size and nucleus)
Monocytes are the largest WBC and have a bean shaped nucleus. Lymphocytes are the smallest WBC and the nucleus is bigger compared to the size of the cell.
What produces antibodies?
B cells differentiate into plasma and memory cells. These plasma cells make up antibodies
What is the shape of an antibody?
A ‘Y’ shape
How many polypeptide chains are there and what types?
2 light chains and 2 heavy chains, therefore 4 in total.
Differnce between constant and variable region?
The constant region does not change although the variable region changes so that the antibody can fight against different types of antigens
Definition of a antigen
A foreign bacteria that causes the body’s immune system to react
What is inflammation? What are some signs?
Inflammation is the bodies response to an injury, infection or harmful substance. It helps protect the body from receiving anymore damage.
Sign of inflammation can be redness, swelling, warmth or pain.
What are some benefits of inflammation?
- seals wounds, preventing blood clot
- to allow damaged tissues to be replaced or repaired
- activates the immune defense
What is an allergy?
An abnormal immune response to a substance that is harmless for most people.
What does an allergy do to the immune system?
The immune system overreacts.
Why many lines of defence mechanisms are there and are they specific or non specific?
1st line of defence (non-specific) 2nd line of defence (non-specific) and lastly 3rd line if defence (specific)
What’s the function of the first line of denfense and how does it defend?
The purpose of the first line of defence is to create barriers to prevent infection. These barriers are skin, tears, saliva, mucus, stomach acid, urine and cilia.
What is the role of the immune system?
To fight and prevent disease
How do the first line of defence barriers defend?
-The skin is the most effective barrier unless if it’s broken by a cut or gaze.
-Tears, saliva and mucus trap pathogens so they can be flushed from the body or swallowed. They can also contain enzymes that can kill certain bacteria.
-Stomach acid aids digestion and kills pathogens we swallow to prevent an infection.
- urine flow fishes pathogens out of the bladder.
- Cilia are tiny hairs on the cells in our airways that push muscular out of the airways.
Define physical and chemical barriers in the first line of defence.
Physical barriers- stop pathogens from entering the body by blocking or trapping them. These are skin, urine,mucus and cilia.
Chemical barriers- kill pathogens before they can enter the body. This includes stomach acids, tears, saliva and mucus.
What is the function of the second line of defence? And how does it react?
The purpose of the second defence is general response to an infection. It reacts to the pathogen by inflammation, fever and phagocytes.
How do these second line of defence reactions help?
Fever- increases the bodies temperature about 38 degrees C and causes sweating and shivering. High temperature slow downs or even kills some pathogens.
Inflammation- sends more blood flow to the damage. The blood contains WBC meaning they fight off the pathogens
Phagocytes- a type of WBC that help the body by engulfing and destroying pathogens.
What is negative feedback mechanism? Provide and example.
The process where the body senses a change and reacts to reverse it keeping balence. For example if your body temperature gets too hot, you sweat to cool down.
