Download Human Body Systems – Chapter 6 Vocabulary and Notes

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Life Science – Human Body Systems – Chapter 6 Vocabulary and Notes
*Vocabulary:
*microorganisms – living things too small to see without a microscope
*pathogens – organisms that cause disease
*infectious disease – a disease caused by the presence of a living thing in the body that can pass from
one organism to another.
*toxin – a poison that can harm an organism
*inflammatory response – part of the body’s defense against pathogens in which fluid and white
blood cells leak from blood vessels into tissues and destroy pathogens by breaking them down
*phagocyte – a white blood cell that destroys pathogens by engulfing them and breaking them down
*immune response – part of the body’s defense against pathogens in which cells of the immune
system react to each kind of pathogen with a defense targeted specifically at that pathogen
*lymphocytes – white blood cells that distinguish between each kind of pathogen
*T cell – a lymphocyte that identifies pathogens and distinguishes one pathogen from another
*antigens – molecules that the immune system recognizes either as part of the body or as coming
from outside the body
*B cells – lymphocytes that produce proteins that help destroy pathogens
*antibodies – proteins produced by B cells of the immune system that detroy pathogens
*AIDS – Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome – a disease caused by a virus (HIV) that attacks the
immune system
*HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus – the virus that causes AIDS
*immunity – the body’s ability to destroy pathogens before they can cause disease
*active immunity – immunity that occurs when a person’s own immune system produces antibodies
in response to the presence of a pathogen
*vaccination – the process by which harmless antigens are deliberately introduced into a person’s
body to produce active immunity; also called immunization
*vaccine – a substance used in a vaccination that consists of pathogens that have been weakened or
killed but can still trigger the body to produce chemicals that destroy the pathogen
*passive immunity –immunity in which antibodies are given to a person rather than produced within
the person’s own body
*antibiotic – a chemical that kills bacteria or slows their growth without harming the body cells
*antibiotic resistance – the ability of bacteria to withstand the effects of an antibiotic
*noninfectious diseases – deseases that are not caused by a pathogen
*allergy –a disorder in which the immune system is overly sensitive to a foreign substance
*allergen – a substance that causes an allergy
*histamine – a chemical that is responsible for the symptoms of an allergy
*asthma – a disease in which the airways in the lungs narrow significantly
*insulin – a hormone produced in the pancreas that enables the body’s cells to take in glucose from
the blood and use it for energy
*diabetes – a condition in which the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin or the body’s cells
cannot us it properly
*tumors – masses of rapidly dividing cells that can damage surrounding tissue (cancer)
*carcinogens – substances or factors in the environment that can cause cancer
*Key Concepts:
-When you have an infectious disease, pathogens are in your body causing harm.
-The four major types of human pathogens are bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists. They can be spread
through contact with a sick person, other living things, or an object in the environment.
-In the inflammatory response, fluid and white blood cells leak from blood vessels and fight pathogens in
nearby tissues. In the immune response, certain immune cells in the blood and tissues react to each kind
of pathogen with a defense targeted specifically at the pathogen.
-HIV is the only kind of virus known to attack the human immune system directly and destroy T cells.
-HIV can spread from one person to another if body fluids from an infected person come in contact with
body fluids of an uninfected person.
-You acquire active immunity when your own immune system produces antibodies against a pathogen in
your body. You acquire passive immunity when the antibodies come from a source outside your body.
-Bacterial diseases can be treated with specific medications. Viral diseases have no known cure. Both
types of diseases can be prevented.
-Allergies cause an inflammatory response by the body. Asthma affects breathing, while diabetes affects
how body cells take up glucose.
-Cancer is a disease in which cells multiply uncontrollably, over and over, destroying healthy tissue.
Treatments include surgery, radiation, and drugs (chemotherapy).