immune system

• health: state of physical and mental wellbeing
• disease: abnormal condition affecting the body or mind, usually associated with specific signs and symptoms
• etiology: cause of a disease
• health is a dynamic as it can be changed by many factors
• infectious disease = communicable disease
• non-infectious disease = non-communicable disease
• infectious disease: a disease caused by a pathogen that is spread from one person to another
• non-infectious disease: disease that does not spread from one person to another
• pathogens: microorganisms that cause disease in humans or animals
• microbes are organisms that can only be seen with a microscope
• disease: an illness affecting part or whole of the body
• bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa are all examples of pathogens
• transmission: the way a disease passes between individuals
• epidemiology: the study of how diseases occur, spread and affect people
• communicable diseases are those which can be passed on from one individual to another
• non communicable diseases are those which cannot be transmitted between individuals
• vaccination involves injecting a small amount of dead/weakened virus into your body so it stimulates antibody production without causing any harm
• antibiotics kill bacteria by disrupting their cell walls or interfering with protein synthesis
• the immune system is made up of white blood cells (WBC) and antibodies
• the immune system is made up of white blood cells that fight off infection
• non-communicable diseases cannot be transmitted from person to person
• the main types of vaccines include live attenuated vaccines (live but weakened), killed whole-cell vaccines (dead) and subunit vaccines (only contain part of the pathogens)
• white blood cells have receptors that recognise antigens on pathogens
• neutrophils are a type of leukocyte that are involved in inflammation
• neutrophils act as your immune system's first line of defence
• innate immunity is the first line of defence and is non-specific and rapid
• adaptive immunity is the immune system's response to a specific pathogen
• first line of defence includes mucous and hair which trap pathogens
• phagocytic leukocytes are white blood cells that engulf and digest foreign particles
• B-lymphocytes create antibodies
• lymphoctyes travel through the lymphatic system to the lymph nodes
• antibodies are also known as immunoglobulin
• humoral immunity involves b-cells producing antibodies against antigens on pathogens
• immune memory allows the body to respond faster if exposed again
• antigen: a toxin or other foreign substance which induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.
• an antibody is a y-shaped molecule that binds to a specific antigen
• antibodies are proteins made by b-cells
• lymphatic system is a network of vessels that transports lymph from the tissues to the blood