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Immunity Flashcards

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1
Q

What is active immunity?

A

Resistance to disease resulting from the activities of an individual’s own immune system whereby an antigen induces plasma cells to produce antibodies

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2
Q

What is AIDS?

A

The disease caused by HIV.

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3
Q

What is an allergen?

A

A normally harmless substance that causes the immune system to produce an immune response

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4
Q

What is an allergy?

A

The response of the immune system to an allergen. E.g. hay fever microorganisms

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5
Q

What are antibiotics?

A

A substance produced by a living organism that can destroy or inhibit the growth of them

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6
Q

What is antibiotic resistance?

A

The development in microorganisms of mechanisms that prevent antibiotics from killing

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7
Q

What is an antibody?

A

A protein produced by lymphocytes in response to the presence of the appropriate antigen

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8
Q

What is an antigen?

A

A molecule that triggers an immune response by lymphocytes

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9
Q

What is antigen presentation?

A

When an antigen-presenting cell e.g. phagocyte displays foreign antigens on their own cell-surface membrane.

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10
Q

What is antigenic variability?

A

Pathogen may mutate frequently so that its antigens change suddenly rather than gradually which means vaccines become ineffective because the new antigens on the pathogen are no longer recognized by the immune system.

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11
Q

What is artificial immunity?

A

A type of active immunity resulting from vaccination. It involves inducing an immune response in an individual without them suffering symptoms of the disease.

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12
Q

What is an attachment protein?

A

The capsid can have these which are essential to allow the virus to identify and attach to a host cell.

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13
Q

What are B cells (B lymphocyte)?

A

A type of white blood cell that is produced and matures within the bone marrow. They produce antibodies as part of their role in immunity

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14
Q

What is cancer?

A

A disease, resulting from mutations, that leads to uncontrolled cell division and the eventual formation of a group of abnormal cells called a tumour

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15
Q

What is a capsid?

A

A protein coat which encloses the nucleic acid in a virus.

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16
Q

What is a carcinogen?

A

A chemical, form of radiation or other agent that causes cance

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17
Q

What is a carrier molecule (carrier protein)?

A

A protein on the surface of a cell that helps to transport molecules and ions across plasma membrane

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18
Q

What is cell mediated immunity?

A

The type of response when T lymphocytes respond to antigens that are presented on a body cell.

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19
Q

What is clonal selection?

A

As the receptor on a helper T cell attaches to the antigen this activates the T cell to divide rapidly by mitosis and form a clone of genetically identical cells. These cloned T cells stimulate B cells to divide and form a clone of identical B cells all of which produce the antibody that is specific to the foreign antigen.

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20
Q

What is the ELISA test?

A

Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay which uses antibodies to detect the presence and quantity of a protein in a sample.

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21
Q

What is an enzyme?

A

A protein or RNA that acts as a catalyst and so alters the speed of a biochemical reaction

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22
Q

What is epidemiology?

A

The study of the spread of disease and the factors that affect this spread

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23
Q

What is a foreign (non-self) antigen?

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A

Not your own body’s cells and molecules.

24
Q

What is glycoprotein?

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A

Substance made up of a carbohydrate molecule and a protein molecule

25
What is herd immunity?
Arises when a sufficiently large proportion of the population has been vaccinated which makes it difficult for a pathogen to spread within that population.
26
What is HIV?
Human immunodeficiency virus which causes the disease acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). It has a lipid envelope, attachment proteins, a capsid and two single strands or RNA and enzymes.
27
What is humoral immunity?
The type of response which involves B lymphocytes and antibodies.
28
What is immunity?
The means by which the body protects itself from infection
29
What is lymph?
A slightly milky fluid found in lymph vessels and made up of tissue fluid, fats and lymphocytes
30
What are lymphocytes?
Types of white blood cell responsible for the immune response, they become activated in the presence of antigens
31
What is a lysosome?
Contain enzymes called lysozymes which they release into the phagosome which hydrolyse the bacterium.
32
What are memory B cells?
Some B cells develop into memory cells which can respond to future infections by the same pathogen by dividing rapidly and developing into plasma cells that produce antibodies as part of the secondary response.
33
What are monoclonal antibodies?
Antibodies produced by a single clone of cells.
34
What is a mutagen?
Any agent that induces a mutation
35
What is natural immunity?
A type of active immunity resulting from an individual becoming infected with a disease under normal circumstances
36
What is passive immunity?
Resistance to disease that is acquired from the introduction of antibodies from another individual, rather than an individual's own immune system
37
What is a pathogen?
Any microorganism that causes disease
38
What is a phagosome?
A vesicle formed as the bacterium is engulfed by the phagocyte. The lysosome releases their lysozymes into the phagosome.
39
What is a phagocyte?
Type of white blood cell which carries out a non-specific immune response and ingests and breaks down pathogens by phagocytosis.
40
What is phagocytosis?
Mechanism by which cells engulf particles to form a vesicle or a vacuole
41
What are plasma B cells?
When the B cell is activated to divide by mitosis it gives a clone of plasma cells which produce and secrete the specific antibody that exactly fits the antigen on the pathogen's surface
42
What is plasmid?
A small circular piece of DNA found in bacterial cells
43
What is a prokaryotic cell?
A cell that does not have a nucleus or membrane bound organelles
44
What is a primary response?
Caused by initial response to the antigen which involves the production of antibodies and memory cells.
45
What is a retrovirus?
A group of viruses which have the ability to make DNA from RNA because they have reverse transcriptase.
46
What is reverse transcriptase?
An enzyme in HIV which enables the production of DNA from RNA.
47
What is a secondary response?
Caused by second exposure to the antigen. Memory cells are responsible for this response - they divide rapidly and develop into plasma cells (which secrete many antibodies quickly) and more memory cells.
48
What are self-antigens?
The body's own cells and molecules.
49
What is serum?
Clear liquid that is left after blood has clotted and the clot has been removed (blood plasma without clotting factors)
50
What are stem cells?
Undifferentiated dividing cells that occur in embryos and in adult animal tissues that require constant replacement
51
What are T cell (T lymphocyte)?
A type of white blood cell that is produced in the bone marrow but matures in the thymus gland. Coordinates the immune response and kills infected cells
52
What are T꜀ cells (cytotoxic T cells)?
Kill abnormal cells and body cells that are infected by pathogens by producing a protein called perforin which makes holes in the cell-surface membrane.
53
What are Tₕ cells (helper T cell)?
Contain receptors which respond to a single antigen. Many different types of T cell, each one responds to a different antigen.
54
What is a vaccination?
The introduction of a vaccine containing appropriate disease antigens into the body by injection or mouth in order to induce artificial immunity
55
What is a virus?
Acellular, non-living particles that are smaller than bacteria. They contain DNA or RNA but can only multiply inside living host cells.
56
What is a vector?
A carrier

Biology Glossary (10 decks)

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