Immunity to Microbes Flashcards
(113 cards)
What mediates the effector mechanisms that provides defense against microbes?
Innate and Adaptive Immunity
True or False:
In many infections, tissue injury and disease may be caused by the host response to the microbe (collateral damage) rather than by the microbe itself.
True
What is the survival and pathogenicity of microbes in a host critically influenced by?
The ability of the microbes to evade or resist the effector mechanisms of immunity.
True or False:
Many microbes establish LATENT, or PERSISTENT INFECTIONS in which the immune response controls but does not eliminate the microbe and the microbe survives without propagating the infection.
True
Which complement pathways do Gram negative bacteria with surface lipopolysaccharide activate?
- alternative pathway
- mannan-binding lectin pathway
How do acute phase proteins (e.g., CRP and SAP) assist in complement activation?
Acute phase proteins bind bacterial coat polysaccharides and activate complement.
What does C3a and C5a bind to in a primary extracellular bacterial infection?
C3a and C5a bind to receptors on resident mast cells and activate them.
mast cell degranulation enhances blood flow
the increased blod flow and local edema are perceived as itchiness and irritation in the inflamed area
In a primary extracellular bacterial infection, what does locally released chemokines (IL-8/CXCL8) and bacterial-derived molecules (e.g., endotoxin) activate?
Both the endothelium and neutrophils.
In primary extracellular bacterial infection, what proteins are potent neutrophil chemoattractants?
- complement fragments (C5a)
- chemokines (IL-8/CXCL8)
together with bacterial products such as formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine tripeptide, attract neutrophils to the site (chemotaxis)
What happens when neutrophils and tissue macrophages are attracted to the site of infection by primary extracellular bacterial infections?
> opsonized bacteria are rapdily engulfed and killed by neutrophils and tissue macrophages.
immature DCs engulf and internalize bacteria via pattern recognition receptros (e.g., Toll-like receptors) - activated mature DCs migrate to the local LNs via the lymphatics
What does local inflammation caused by a primary extracellular bacterial infection lead to the up-regulation of?
Adhesion Molecules on high endothelial venules (HEV) of lymph node, and lymphocytes enter directly from the blood.
many lymphocytes become trapped, activated, and proliferate in the local inflamed LN
this leads to the consequent swelling and local hyperemia that manifested by the symptoms of swollen painful/tender LNs
Early antibacterial Ab production is of what isotype?
IgM class
this relatively low affinity interaction is enhanced by the 5 adhesion sites on IgM, leading to higher avidity of the binding
IgM is a very potent complement activator
bacteria are also opsonized with C3b via IgM-activated complement (classical pathway) that increases phagocytosis
What happens in the resolution of a primary extracellular bacterial infection?
Bacterial debris is removed by local macrophages and neutrophils, or by Ab as soluble immune complexes.
upon elimination of pathogens, the immune responses is contracted and most of effector lymphocytes die via apoptosis
What are the two principal mechanisms that infections caused by pathogenic extracellular bacteria have?
1) Tissue damage is caused by inflammation at the site of infection.
2) Bacteria produce toxins which have diverse pathologic effects.
What are bacterial toxins subdivided into?
- endotoxins - components of bacterial cell walls
- exotoxins - which are secreted by the bacteria
What is endotoxin (LPS) of Gram-negative bacteria a potent activator of?
- macrophages
- DCs
- endothelial cells
List examples of exotoxins that are cytotoxic.
- diphtheria toxin (shuts down protein synthesis in infected cells)
- cholera toxin (interferes with ion/water transport)
- tetanus toxin (inhibits neuromuscular transmission)
True or False:
Other exotoxins interfere with normal cellular functions without killing cells, and yet, other exotoxins stimulate the production of cytokines that cause disease.
True
What are the principal mechanisms of innate immunity to extracellular bacteria?
- complement activation
- phagocytosis
- inflammation
What type of extracellular bacteria activate complement by the lectin pathway?
Bacteria that express mannose on their surface bind mannose-binding lectin, which activates complement by the lectin pathway.
What components of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria activate the alternative pathway?
> Gram-positive bacteria - peptidoglycans
> Gram-negative bacteria - LPS
Give an example of a bacteria that are particularly susceptible to lysis by the MAC complex.
Neisseria
What byproducts of the alternative pathway stimulate inflammation by recruiting and activating leukocytes?
- C3a
- C5a
complement activation results in opsonization and enhanced phagocytosis of the bacteria
What is the function of FACTOR I in the prevention of host bystander damage?
Cleavage of C3b and C4b by FACTOR I prevents them from forming active convertases and requires cofactor activity.
These cofactors include the membrane-bound membrane cofactor protein (MCP) and complement receptor 1 (CR1), Factor H (FH) and C4b-binding protein (C4BP).