Download THE IMMUNE SYSTEM Define the following terms: Antibodies

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
Define the following terms:
Antibodies
Antigen (vs Pathogen)
Immune system
Pathogen (vs Antigen)
White blood cells
Infectious diseases
Contagious diseases
Innate immune response
Acquired immune response
Inflammation
Phagocytes
B-cells
T-cells
Active immunity
Vaccine
One hundred and fifty years ago, Joseph Lister, a British surgeon, did some research and hypothesized
that “germs” were passed on to patients in equipment and doctor’s hands to cause death. Now tools and
hands are sterilized before surgery is performed. This helped to save many lives.
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
1. What are some common or frequently used words to describe things that cause disease?
2. What are all the ways people can get sick?
3. Think about the way your body is built; look at yourself, and your classmates. What are some
structures that protect you from becoming ill?
4. Think of all the different things we use to kill germs, do our bodies naturally make anything like
that?
FIRST LINE OF DEFENSE
5. What is the first line of defense against infectious diseases?
SECOND LINE OF DEFENSE
6. What is the second line of defense against infectious diseases? When does it kick in? Think about a
sport, if an opponent gets past one defender, will a second defender try to stop him/her?
7. How does your body know which cells are invaders/infectious and which belong to your own
body? Can someone have this problem?
INNATE LINE OF DEFENSE – born with it!
8. When something unknown enters the body, do you think the body “thinks” before attacking?
9. What do you think is the first response the body carries out? What body system do you think is
involved when an area in your body is infected?
10. Think about a time when you hurt yourself, or you got an infection due to a cut, can you remember
what it feels like? Or the last time you were sick, how did you feel?
11. Think about the job of a police officer, are they always catching criminals? If there aren’t
criminals/invaders, are they not around or are they around searching trying to find them?
ACQUIRED IMMUNE RESPONSE
12. Is your body able to fight off all possible types of pathogens from the day you are born? Why not?
How does your body become better at fighting off pathogens/disease?
13. Do you think that the immunity you develop as you get older is the same for all diseases? Do you
think it’s specific for what kind of pathogen is present in your body?
14. Starting from the time you became sick, do you start feeling better after a couple of days? Why do
you think that is? Why do you think it takes at least a day or two to start feeling better?
B-CELLS
15. What do you think would be the first step in trying to fight off a disease? Remember that your body
has general and specific immunity to pathogens and antigens.
B-cells recognize the antigen & produces antibodies that cover the pathogen, they bind to sites on
antigen, this either prevents from spreading and infecting more cells or “marks” it to be destroyed
by other WBCs(White Blood Cells). The body continues to produce more B-cells of similar type to
fight other antigens in the body.
T-CELLS
16. Once a pathogen has gone past your first line of defense (skin, lining, etc) and is inside your body
and has managed to get into your cells, is it “OVER”?
Helper T-cells recognize antigens/pathogens and activate B-cells to produce antibodies.
17. Do you think that the antibodies that were created disappear after your body has gotten rid of the
infection? What have you gained if the antibodies “stick around”?
Killer T-cells can work on their own to kill and destroy antigens/pathogens.
18. Acquired Immune Responses give you active immunity. What do you think active immunity
means?
19. Did you ever have chicken pox? If not, why do you think that is? Have you heard of polio, or
measles? Why do you think people don’t get those diseases anymore? And after you get sick with
something like chicken pox, why do you think you don’t get it again even if you’re exposed to
someone that has it?
Memory B-cells store antibodies that can be re-activated if an antigen or pathogen re-appears.
20. Are all pathogens the same? Can they infect you differently? Do you think this is why antibodies
are produced for each and every new antigen or pathogen that enters your body?