Immunity
How the body defends itself: innate immunity and inflammation, adaptive immunity with its B and T lymphocytes, the antibody classes, the memory that vaccination relies on, and what happens when defence is lacking, overreacts or targets the wrong thing.
- 32 cards
- 3 topics
- Free
The outline, topic by topic
Each topic is weighted the way the exam weighs it.
- Concepts
- Scenarios
- Understand
A few cards from the deck
Innate immunity: what is it?
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Immediate, non-specific defence: barriers, phagocytes, complement, inflammation.
It acts within minutes to hours, without memory.
How does a vaccine protect?
- It presents a harmless antigen to create immunological memory
- It kills microbes directly
- It supplies ready-made antibodies for ever
- It only strengthens the skin
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It presents a harmless antigen to create immunological memory
At the real encounter, the response is immediate and strong.
Adaptive immunity: what is it?
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Defence specific to one antigen, carried by B and T lymphocytes, which keeps a memory.
It takes several days to get going the first time.
Why does a second encounter with a microbe give a faster response?
- The microbe is weakened
- The fever is higher
- The skin is thicker
- Specific memory lymphocytes already exist and multiply at once
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Specific memory lymphocytes already exist and multiply at once
The secondary response mainly produces IgG, faster and in larger amounts.
Phagocytosis: what is it?
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The engulfing and destruction of a microbe by a cell, mainly neutrophils and macrophages.
Neutrophils are first on the scene in a bacterial infection.
Which cells does HIV destroy, opening the door to opportunistic infections?
- Red blood cells
- CD4 T lymphocytes
- Platelets
- Neutrophils
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CD4 T lymphocytes
Without the conductor, all of adaptive immunity weakens.