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Immune System
This category is for questions about how our bodies identify and fight off disease, infection or pathogens through specialized cells, tissues and organs. The system that does this is called the immune system. It produces antibodies which recognize intruders and neutralizes potentially pathogenic organisms or substances.
4,548 Questions
Why does it take time for antibodies to be made once you have been infected by a microbe?
it takes a long time because the mucus in the body stops it from producing faster than the bacteria can spread its epithelial cells
Does chlamydia weaken your immune system?
It appears that chlamydia may release toxins that damage the immune response in some cases. (see related link).
Every infection weakens the immune system, since the immune system will expend resources to fight it off. If an infection is particularly severe or lengthy in its course, then other infectious organisms may be able to reproduce in sufficient number to create a secondary infection. This is how many diseases, such as bacterial pneumonia, are often acquired: a previous infection (say, influenza) has weakened the immune system to the point that a normally harmless bacterium inhabiting the lungs has the opportunity to multiply unchecked. Since bacteria multiply exponentially, there comes a point where the immune system can no longer keep up, and severe disease results. Antibiotic therapy or diuretic and anti-inflammatory pill is then required.
However, most of the time the immune system will quickly recover to its full strength. (Actually, it will be somewhat improved since it will have memory of this latest infection and will be more resistant to it next time).
A few diseases can permanently affect the immune system (the infectious particle targets mediators of the immune response), HIV being the most famous, but Chlamydia is not one of them.
What is the medical term meaning type of immunity where memory cells are formed?
Adaptive Immunity is the type of immunity that creates memory cells. This is a specific type of immunity that reacts to the "non-self" antigen of pathogens. In the initial or first introduction to the pathogen, Immunoglobulin M (IgM) predominates the circulation. But in thesubsequentintroduction of the same pathogen where in memory cells were already formed from the previous event, Immunoglobulin G (IgG) now predominates. These antibodies either neutralize pathogens directly, or signals the complement system and/or the Natural Killer cells to eliminate the pathogen.
Since memory cells are already formed, the body is better equipped in dealing with the same pathogen the second time around.
This is the same concept in vaccinations, wherein we introduce into the body the same pathogen but in a weakened form removing it's virulence.
What are the causes of high hematocrit count?
Hematocrit is a measure of the percent of red blood cells in the blood (plasma + RBC). So the more red blood cells the higher the hemoglobin content. It is a linear relationship not a cause and effect.
What is the definition of self and non self recognition in immunity?
Self recognition immunity is when something goes into the body and it has been there before. The body automatically puts a marker specific to only that substance on it so that anytime it is in contact with the body it will recognize it. Non-recognized immunity is when a foreign substance enters the body. In this case the body has defense teams designed to attack and rid the body of the foreign substance. Sometimes the cells that are supposed to recognize the markers fail to and the body attacks it's own recognied substances. When this happens, this is the cause of many autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, multiple sclerosis. OMG
What two sites are involved in the production and maturation of T lymphocytes?
Thymus and bone marrow
Are there antibodies in your eye?
well no not exactly, there is an enzyme in the tears of the eyes. so when you blink the liquid is spread by the upper eyelid, it kills the bacteria in the eyes.
Why does the strength of the immune response decline in the elderly?
A person's immune response is determined by the size of their thymus which produces T lymphocytes. The thymus begins to shrink after adolescense and at the age of 70 it is about 1/10 the size it was at the age of 10. Therefore, it is 25% as powerful as it was during adolescense.
What is a fluorescent antibody test?
Laboratory tests. the fluorescent antibody test uses fluorescent tags that are attached to antibodies for easy detection.
Can you become immune to digital drugs?
I'm going to take a wild guess here that you mean: "Can you build up a tolerance to Digitalis to the point where it does not work anymore?" As far as I know, the answer is "no".
What is Germ line mutation to somatic mutation?
germ line muttations are muttations that are hereditable, meaning it is passed on to offspring, and must be in a reproductive cell, such as a human sperm cell. somatic muttations are muttations that are not hereditable. this occors in non reproductive cells, such as an apple seed.
hope this helped
What are pathogens What foods do they grow in?
Pathogens are micro organism that cause illness. They can grow in basically any food. Look up FAT TOM to see how it could grow.
What is the basis of immunity?
Immune system can distinguish between its own substances, and foreign substances.
Why is imflammation helpful on a wound?
Inflammation and heat radiating from a wound site indicates an increased blood flow to the wound itself, this means extra nutrients, protein's, antibodies and other vital components for healing are reaching the wound enabling it to heal properly.
When the immune system becomes terminated or decreased to response?
It can become compromised under immune suppressant drugs therefore will have decreased or no response.
It is completely terminated when you die along with everything else.
HIV cannot fully collapse your immune system, but it can come close. Reason this is a problem is we need the function of our immune system to fight off any disease even ones as simple as the common cold or flu. If you have a weak immune system such as people who have been diagnosed with AIDS (meaning a person cannot fight off simple infections), then even the common cold becomes deadly. So many south African blacks (or anyone) who are infected do not die from HIV, but other diseases that they acquire because of their weak immune systems.
Micro-organisms are tiny living things. They are not able to be seen with the naked eye and are only visible under a microscope.
There are five different types of micro-organisms:
- bacteria
- fungi
- viruses
- algae
- protozoa
