Transcript immunity
Immunity
Immunity: ability of an organism to
resist disease.
Homeostasis: the tendency of the
body to maintain stability while
continually adjusting to conditions
that are optimal for survival.
Homeostatic mechanisms are
necessary for the body to regain its
balance when disease or injury
occurs and to maintain that
balance if it is to remain healthy.
Antigen: any substance that elicits
an immune response.
Antibodies: made in response to
specific antigens; can inactivate the
antigen that triggered the antibody
formation.
The Body Fights Back: 2 Ways
Surface Barriers Keep
Intruders Out
• Prevents entry of antigens inside
our body
• Skin, Mucosa
Response Against Antigens:
• Cell Mediated Immunity: Cell
activates itself to defend against the
attack
• Humoral Immunity: Cell produces
antibodies carried in blood to
combat the intrusion
Declaring War on Invaders
The Antigen
The Enemy Invader
• Usually a bacteria or
virus
• Comes in many
different forms and
attacks the body
The Warriors
The Macrophage
Body's Radar
Type of cell normally
present in the blood
Detects the enemy
The Warriors
The T-Helper Cell
Communication Link
Communication Link
Between the body's
macrophages and Bcells
T-Cells in Action
Virus
Virus
Virus
The Warriors
The B-Cell
The War Factory
Produces antibodies
custom tailored for
the type of enemy
antigen
B-Cells in Action
Virus
Virus
Virus
Virus
The Warriors
Antibodies
Antigen Busters
Designed to seek and
destroy the specific
enemy antigen
Complement
Support Troops
Assists the antibodies
to neutralize the
enemy antigen
Humoral Immunity
Since antibodies circulate through the humours (body fluids),
the protection afforded by B cells is called humoral immunity.
Structure of
antibodies
(Y-shaped
proteins)
So what does an
antibody do?
1. Binds to molecules
(antigens) on the surface
of invading organism.
2. Inactivates or renders the
microorganism susceptible
to destruction by the
immune system.
The War
Immune Complex:
When antibodies and complement attack
the antigen, an immune complex is formed.
Polymorph : Disposal Unit. Detects the
immune complexes and removes them
T-Suppressor Cell:
Another
Communication Link
Signals to the B-cell
to stop making
antibodies once the
antigen has been
destroyed
Review 1
What is the enemy called that invades the
cell?
What keeps intruders out?
What are the two kinds of immunity?
Surface Barriers or Mucosal
Immunity
Skin
Cilia
Tears, Saliva, Urine.
Sticky mucus
Stomach:
Hydrochloric Acid
Analogy
Suppose the classroom is a body.
All students are cells.
Rats are Antigens.
Doors and Windows prevent them from entering
- Surface Barriers.
Some of you Tough ones (T-cells) will capture
the rodents - Cell-mediated Immunity.
Some of you Brainiacs (B-cells) will call pest
control (Antibodies) to capture the rodents –
Humoral Immunity.
The Ultimate Battlefield : Blood
BLOOD: It is the place where the antigen
and the antibody/T-cells collide.
Blood cells= RBCs + WBCs + Platelets.
Normal Blood Cell Count
Type of Cell
RBC
Men
5-6 billion cells per
Liter of Blood
Women
4-5 billion cells per Liter of
Blood
WBC
4-11 billion cells per
Liter of Blood
4-11 billion cells per Liter
of Blood
Platelets
150-400 billion cells
per Liter of Blood
150-400 billion cells per
Liter of Blood
Type of Cell
Increase
Decrease
RBC
Erythrocytosis
Anemia
WBC
Leucocytosis
Leucopenia
Lymphocyte
Lymphocytosis
Lymphocytopenia
Platelets
Thrombocytosis
Thrombocytopenia
The Cells in Blood
Source: National Library of Medicine
*Lymphocyte not shown. Looks like
a monocyte, except nucleus mostly
fills the cell and does not have a
notch in it.
The Role of Neutrophils
When a wound occurs,
neutrophils migrate out of
blood to rush to the wound
and phagocytize (“eat”) the
bacteria. This is what pus is
made of.
“old” neutrophil surrounded by red
blood cells
The Role of
Monocytes
Eosinophils
Turn into Macrophages
Attack Internal Parasites
Note the notch in the nucleus.
Otherwise, it looks like a
lymphocyte.
Note the red granules
in the cytoplasm.
The Role of Macrophages
Enter tissue and engulf and then digest cellular
debris and microbes
Note the irregular cell
membrane. These
are the largest blood
cell, but they migrate
out of blood into
damaged tissue.
The Role of Platelets
Blood Clotting
They can clump together
to form clots. No role in
immunity.
Review 2
What do Macrophages do?
Where is the “Ultimate Battlefield?”
What do Platelets do?
Leukocytosis
Leukocytosis: white blood cell count increased
above the normal range.
It is not a disorder or a disease, but a sign of
illness.
It occurs in response to a wide variety of
conditions, including
viral, bacterial, fungal, or parasitic infection
cancer
Hemorrhage (internal bleeding)
exposure to certain medications or chemicals
including steroids.
Leukopenia
Leukopenia: a decrease in the number of
circulating white blood cells in the blood.
As white blood cells get “used up” during
infection, leucopenia can place patients at
higher risk for infection.
Causes:
Influenza, typhus, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, dengue, Rickettsial
infections, enlargement of the spleen and folate deficiencies.
chemotherapy, radiation therapy, leukemia , myelofibrosis and
anemia.
many common medications like minocyclen.
HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)
HIV infection causes AIDS (Acquired
ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome).
AIDS causes the immune system to fail, leading to life-
threatening opportunistic infections.
Infection with HIV occurs by the transfer of blood,
semen, vaginal fluid, pre-ejaculate, or breast milk.
The four major routes of transmission are
unprotected sexual intercourse,
contaminated needles
breast milk
transmission from an infected mother to her baby at birth.
AIDS (Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome)
Virus infects vital cells such as helper T
cells and macrophages.
When T cell numbers decline below a
critical level, cell-mediated immunity is
lost, and infections with a variety of
opportunistic microbes appear.
Cell-mediated immunity
It is an immune response that does not involve
antibodies, but rather the cells act as the killers
themselves.
It protects the body by:
Activating antigen-specific T-cells that destroy
infected cells.
Activating macrophages that destroy
intracellular pathogens.
Activating NK (Natural Killer) cells that release
a protein that kills the target cells
Review 3
What is Leukopenia and what does it
cause?
What immune response does not involve
antibodies?
Immune System Research
How do they test for antibodies?
ELISA TEST
Remove blood cells and use the fluid
(serum) to test for presence of
antibody.
A. Place target sample on a support
B. Add serum that has antibody against
antigen being tested for. Antibody, if
present, binds the antigen.
C. Add a second antibody (that was
separately developed to react with the
antibody/antigen complex in step B)
binds it to the complex. Second
antibody was also prepared with an
enzyme attached to it.
D. This new complex is made visible by
reacting it with an enzyme that
converts it to a colored compound
that you can see.