Immune Response

• What is an immune response?


  • A series of bodily processes that ensure that any invading pathogen is quickly identified and destroyed before damage is caused to the individual
• What is a pathogen?

  • A microorganism that causes disease, they cause disease by damaging host cells and tissues
• What are the two types of responses to infection?

  • non-specific response and specific response.
• What is a non-specific immune response?

  • An immediate response of the body that is the same for any pathogen, e.g. phagocytosis
• What is a specific immune response?

  • A less rapid response of the body to a specific antigen on a specific pathogen, this can be mediated or humoral
• Markers on cell surfaces allow the immune system to tell the difference between:

  • Self - the body's own cells
  • Non-self - Any cell that doesn't originate from your body or is infected
• What is an antigen?

  • A protein molecule that stimulates an immune response.
• What are antibody's produced by and why?

  • They're protein molecules that are produced by B plasma lymphocytes in response to a specific non-self antigen
• Antibodies have a specific tertiary structure

  • The shape of the antigen binding site on the antibody is complementary to the antigen
  • The antigen binds to the antibody to form an antigen-antibody complex
• Antigen-antibody complex diagram

  
• What is a phagocyte?

  • A type of white blood cell