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Immune System in Animals

The document discusses the immune system in animals, highlighting the complex and multilayered defense mechanisms unique to vertebrates, including humans. It differentiates between the innate immune system, which provides nonspecific defenses, and the adaptive immune system, which mounts specific responses to pathogens. The text also covers various components of the immune response, including physical barriers, white blood cells, cytokines, and the roles of B and T cells in adaptive immunity.

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philipkehinde6874
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18 views

Immune System in Animals

The document discusses the immune system in animals, highlighting the complex and multilayered defense mechanisms unique to vertebrates, including humans. It differentiates between the innate immune system, which provides nonspecific defenses, and the adaptive immune system, which mounts specific responses to pathogens. The text also covers various components of the immune response, including physical barriers, white blood cells, cytokines, and the roles of B and T cells in adaptive immunity.

Uploaded by

philipkehinde6874
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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IMMUNE SYSTEM IN ANIMALS

• Organisms have a wide array of adaptations for preventing


attacks of parasites and diseases.

• The vertebrate defense systems, including those of humans,


are complex and multilayered, with defenses unique to
vertebrates.

• These unique vertebrate defenses interact with other defense


systems inherited from ancestral lineages, and include
complex and specific pathogen recognition and memory
mechanisms.
• Examples : the Small pox, Poliomyletis, Cow pox, Yellow fever
etc.

• The vertebrate, including human, immune system is a complex


multilayered system for defending against external and internal
threats to the integrity of the body.
• The system can be divided into two types of defense systems:

• the innate immune system, which is nonspecific toward a particular


kind of pathogen,
• AND

• the adaptive immune system, which is specific


INNATE IMMUNITY
• Innate immunity is not caused by an infection or vaccination
and depends initially on physical and chemical barriers that
work on all pathogens, sometimes called the first line of
defense.

• The second line of defense of the innate system includes


chemical signals that produce inflammation and fever
responses as well as mobilizing protective cells and other
chemical defenses.
ADAPTIVE IMMUNE SYSTEM
• The adaptive immune system usually mounts a highly
specific response to substances and organisms that do not
belong in the body. The adaptive system takes longer to
respond and has a memory system that allows it to respond
with greater intensity should the body reencounter a pathogen
even years later.
EXTERNAL AND CHEMICAL BARRIERS
• The body has significant physical barriers to potential pathogens. The
skin contains the protein keratin, which resists physical entry into cells.

• Other body surfaces, particularly those associated with body openings,


are protected by the mucous membranes.

• The openings of the body, such as the nose and ears, are protected by
hairs that catch pathogens, and the mucous membranes of the upper
respiratory tract have cilia that constantly move pathogens trapped in
the mucus coat up to the mouth.
• The skin and mucous membranes also create a chemical environment that
is hostile to many microorganisms.

• The surface of the skin is acidic, which prevents bacterial growth.

• Saliva, mucus, and the tears of the eye contain an enzyme that breaks
down bacterial cell walls.

• The stomach secretions create a highly acidic environment, which kills


many pathogens entering the digestive system.
• Finally, the surface of the body and the lower digestive
system have a community of microorganisms such as
bacteria, archaea, and fungi that coexist without harming the
body.
Internal Defenses
• When pathogens enter the body, the innate immune system responds
with a variety of internal defenses. These include the inflammatory
response, phagocytosis, natural killer cells, and the complement
system.
• White blood cells in the blood and lymph recognize pathogens as
foreign to the body.

• A white blood cell is larger than a red blood cell, is nucleated, and is
typically able to move using amoeboid locomotion e.g. Monocyte,
Macrophages etc.
• Mast cells are produced in the same way as white blood cells, but
unlike circulating white blood cells, mast cells take up residence in
connective tissues and especially mucosal tissues.

• They are responsible for releasing chemicals in response to physical


injury. They also play a role in the allergic response.
• When a pathogen is recognized as foreign, chemicals called cytokines
are released.

• A cytokine is a chemical messenger that regulates cell differentiation


(form and function), proliferation (production), and gene expression to
produce a variety of immune responses.

• An interferon is a small protein that signals a viral infection to other


cells. The interferons stimulate uninfected cells to produce compounds
that interfere with viral replication. Interferons also activate
macrophages and other cells.
The Inflammatory Response and Phagocytosis
• The first cytokines to be produced encourage inflammation,
a localized redness, swelling, heat, and pain. Inflammation is
a response to physical trauma, such as a cut or a blow,
chemical irritation, and infection by pathogens (viruses,
bacteria, or fungi).

• For example, a neutrophil is an early arriving white blood


cell that engulfs and digests pathogens. Neutrophils are the
most abundant white blood cells of the immune system.
• Cytokines also send feedback to cells of the nervous system to bring
about the overall symptoms of feeling sick, which include lethargy,
muscle pain, and nausea.

• Cytokines also increase the core body temperature, causing a fever. The
elevated temperatures of a fever inhibit the growth of pathogens and
speed up cellular repair processes.
Cells involved in the innate immune response include mast cells, natural killer
cells, and white blood cells, such as monocytes, macrophages and neutrophils.
• Find out about Lymphocytes and Natural Killer CELLS (NK)

AND

What are complements?


Adaptive Immunity
• Adaptive immunity is an immunity that occurs after exposure to an
antigen either from a pathogen or a vaccination.

• An antigen is a molecule that stimulates a response in the immune


system. This part of the immune system is activated when the innate
immune response is insufficient to control an infection.
• There are two types of adaptive responses:

• the cell-mediated immune response, which is controlled by activated T


cells,

• and

• the humoral immune response, which is controlled by activated B


cells and antibodies.
• Lymphocytes, which are white blood cells, are formed with other blood
cells in the red bone marrow found in many flat bones, such as the
shoulder or pelvic bones.

• The two types of lymphocytes of the adaptive immune response are B


and T cells. Whether an immature lymphocyte becomes a B cell or T
cell depends on where in the body it matures.

• The B cells remain in the bone marrow to mature (hence the name “B”
for “bone marrow”)
• while T cells migrate to the thymus, where they mature (hence the name
“T” for “thymus”).
QUESTIONS
• Which of the following is a barrier against pathogens provided by the skin?
a. low PH b. mucus c. tears d. cilia

• The fact that the body does not normally mount an immune response to the
molecules in food is an example of _______. a. secondary immune response b.
immunological memory c. immune tolerance d. passive immunity.
• A potential cause of acquired autoimmunity is ________. a. tissue
hypersensitivity b. molecular mimicry c. histamine release d. radiation exposure
• The humoral immune response depends on which cells?
a. TC cells b. B cells c. B and TH cells d. TC and TH cells
• Foreign particles circulating in the blood are filtered by the ____________. a.
spleen b. lymph nodes c. MALT d. lymph

• . Foreign particles circulating in the blood are filtered by the

• (a). spleen (b). lymph nodes (c). MALT (d). Lymph

• 2 Although interferons have several effects, they are particularly useful against

infections with which type of pathogen?

• (a). bacteria (b). Viruses (c). fungi (d). Helminths


3. The fact that the body does not normally mount an immune response to the

molecules in food is an example. (a). secondary immune response (b).

immunological memory (c). immune tolerance (d). passive immunity.

4. Which innate immune system component uses MHC class I molecules directly

in its defense strategy? a. Macrophages b. neutrophils c. NK cell (d) interferon

5. Which of the following is not part of the physical barriers (a) skin (b) mucous

membrane (c) immunoglobulins (d) stomach acid?

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