FACTORS EFFECTING LAIBA ZIMAL

IMMUNE SYSTEM BBT221004(SEC 1)

EFFECT OF AGE ,RACE ,GENDER,ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC FACTORS

ON IMMUNE SYSTEM
 FACTORS EFFECTING IMMUNE SYSTEM BBT221004

Table Of Contents
IMMUNE SYSTEM ...................................................................................................................... 3
Effect Of Age On Immune System ............................................................................................ 3
Effect Of Genetic Factors On Immune System ………………………………………………………………6
Effect Of Environmental Factors On Immune System ……………………………………………………....7
Effect Of Gender On Immune System………………………………………………………………………………8
Effect Of Race On Immune System …………………………………………………………………………………9

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 FACTORS EFFECTING IMMUNE SYSTEM BBT221004

IMMUNE SYSTEM
Immune system is the complex system of defense responses found in humans and other
developed vertebrates that helps to eradicate disease-causing organisms. Immunity from
disease is actually combination of two cooperative and interconnected defense systems,
called nonspecific, innate immunity and specific, acquired immunity. Nonspecific protective
mechanisms target all microorganisms equally, while the specific immune responses are
tailored to particular types of invaders. Both systems work together to prevent organisms
from entering and proliferating within the body. These immune mechanisms also help to
eliminate abnormal cells of the body that can develop into cancer. Invaders include

 Microorganisms ( such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi)

 Parasites (such as worms)

 Cancer cells

 Transplanted organs and tissues

 Effect Of Age On Immune System :

The immune system changes throughout life.

Immunity -- your body’s defense system -- tends to get weaker with age.
Adults rely more heavily on adaptive immunity—neutralizing antibodies and T-cells tuned
to the new virus—kids appear to lean on innate immunity, involving the cells of the
respiratory tract itself.
That could mean they’re better at handling a novel virus out of the gate, which would be
important because some of the worst COVID outcomes in adults seem to be related to
adults’ delayed innate reaction to SARS-CoV-2, and the runaway immune response as the
body plays catchup. In other words, adults may get sick as their immune system
overwhelms a virus that’s slipped into the castle, while kids are able to contain the invaders
at the walls.

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Newborns :

At birth, acquired (specific) immunity is not fully developed. However, newborns have
some antibodies, which crossed the placenta from the mother during pregnancy. These
antibodies protect newborns against infections until their own immune system fully
develops. Breastfed newborns also receive antibodies from the mother in breast milk. The
immune system gradually matures during infancy. Critical early protection against many
infectious diseases previously experienced by the mother is given by the passive IgG
antibody transferred from the mother transplacentally and in milk. Once that fades away,
young children become more vulnerable to infections, though by then better armed with the
maturing innate and adaptive immune systems.

Older people :

 “Just as you probably

can’t run as fast as you
used to in your 20s, your
immune system doesn’t
work as well as it used
to,” says Aaron E. Glatt,
MD, chairman of the
department of medicine at
South Nassau
Communities Hospitals.

As people age, the immune system becomes less effective in the following ways:

 The immune system becomes less able to distinguish self from nonself (that is, to
identify foreign antigens). As a result, autoimmune disorders become more common.
 Macrophages destroy bacteria, cancer cells, and other antigens more slowly. This
slowdown may be one reason that cancer is more common among older people.

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 Our immune system’s capacity declines as we get older, especially above the age of 70
years due to decrease in functioning of T-cells as a result of the degeneration of the
thymus gland in the body which is the main site for T-cell production.
 T cells (memory cells ) respond less quickly to the antigens.
 There are fewer white blood cells capable of responding to new antigens. Thus, when
older people encounter a new antigen, the body is less able to remember and defend
against it.
 Older people have smaller amounts of complement proteins and do not produce as
many of these proteins as younger people do in response to bacterial infections.
 Although the amount of antibody produced in response to an antigen remains about
the same overall, the antibodies become less able to attach to the antigen. This change
may partly explain why pneumonia, influenza, and tetanus are more common among
older people and result in death more often. These changes may also partly explain
why vaccines are less effective in older people and thus why it is important for older
people to get booster shots (which are available for some vaccines).
These changes in immune function may contribute to the greater susceptibility of older
people to some infections and cancers.
But fear not -- at least not much.
 “Compared to many other bodily functions, most people’s immune systems actually
do really great at any age,” Glatt says. Most of our immune systems work well
enough that our risk for infection and illness isn’t much higher than normal.

 Don’t respond as well to vaccines: Your immune system includes T cells, which attack
other, illness-causing cells. They’re able to “remember” an invader, then defend against it
better later. When you’re older, you make fewer T cells, and most vaccines require new
ones to work.
 Are more likely to get sick: Not only do you have fewer immune cells as you age, the ones
you do have don’t communicate with each other as well. That means they take longer to react
to harmful germs.
 Recover from injuries, infection, and illness more slowly: Your body produces fewer
immune cells, including white blood cells

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 Effect Of Genetic Factors On Immune

System :
 Primary immunodeficiency disorders are present at birth. They are often inherited. This
means they are linked to genes passed from one generation to another.
 Genes in this region code for cell-surface proteins that facilitate antigenic peptide
presentation to immune cells that regulate responses to invading pathogens. This region is
critical for adaptive immune response but also has significant overlap with susceptibility
alleles for autoimmune diseases.
 Researchers from King's, supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre at Guy's
and St Thomas' Foundation Trust and King's College London, analysed 23,000 immune
traits in 497 adult female twins from the TwinsUK cohort. They found that adaptive
immune traits -- the more complex responses that develop after exposure to a specific
pathogen, such as chickenpox -- are mostly influenced by genetics.
 Scientists have previously identified genes that are important in controlling the
autoimmune response, but this is the first time that differences in T cell activation
between population groups have been revealed.
 In the current study, the scientists analyzed blood samples collected from 348 healthy
volunteers representing African, Asian or European ancestry. After the researchers
genotyped the samples and isolated CD4+ T cells, the T cells were activated in cell
culture to model their response to antigens. A computational analysis measured which
genes were turned on or off in the cells from each person.

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 Effect of environmental factors on immune

system :
 Your immune system can also be weakened by smoking, alcohol, and poor
nutrition.. HIV, which causes AIDS, is an acquired viral infection that destroys
important white blood cells and weakens the immune system. Aids is ,caused due
to environment factors or human behavior.
 The immune system is commonly assumed to respond to harmful pathogens such
as bacteria and viruses. However, harmless bacteria, chemicals, stress, normal
food and other factors can also trigger, shape or interfere with the immune system,
often producing adverse effects.

 In one’s immunological history, “environment” also encompasses the microbial world

people inhabit. The hygiene hypothesis holds that people who have encountered more
challenges to their immune system—harmful microbes—are less likely to have the
runaway response that is the hallmark of autoimmune disease. People who grow up
exposed to fewer microbes may have difficulty stopping the immune response when it
is no longer needed.
 There is a strong inherited component to autoimmune disease, but changing one’s
environments is also important, a researcher noted. People who relocate to a new
region tend to acquire the frequency of autoimmune disease of where they are going,
observational research has reported. For example, he said, there is little autoimmune
disease in asia, but people of Asian origin who have lived in the US, from an early
age have about the same frequency of autoimmune disease as people of European
origin who also live in the US.

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 Effect Of Gender On Immune System :

Women mount stronger humoral and cellular immune responses than men. While this
may favor pathogen clearance, stronger responses can contribute to immune-mediated
pathologies such as autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The major differences
between female and male immune systems are sex hormones.
Prolactin increases
(i) antibody production, (ii) regulates the development of CD4+ T cells and (iii) triggers
pro-inflammatory cytokine production. Progesterone stimulates a switch from a
predominantly pro-inflammatory to an anti-inflammatory immune response, favors Treg
differentiation, and exerts an inhibitory effect on NK cells. Several studies indicate that
testosterone has suppressive effects on the immune system by inhibiting
(i) pro-inflammatory cytokine production, (ii) Th1 differentiation, (iii) immunoglobulin
production and (iv) NK cell cytotoxic activity, and by potentiating the expression of anti-
inflammatory cytokinesrogression of autoimmune diseases.

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 Effect of race on immune system :

It's important to note, that race is a socially constructed concept that doesn't have a biological
basis. Rather, the differences in immune system function that have been observed among
different racial and ethnic groups are likely due to a combination of genetic, environmental,
and social factors
According to the new evidence, people of African ancestry generally show stronger immune
responses than Europeans do.
There is evidence that race can have an effect on the immune system, although the specific
mechanisms and implications of this are still being studied

References
 . Holt PG. 2004. The Role Of Genetic And Environmental Factors In The
Development Of T-Cell Mediated Allergic Disease In Early Life. Paediatr. Respir.
Rev. 5, S27–S30.

 ELIZBETH COONEY. (2014). T Lymphocyte Activation Integrates Immunologic And

Genetic History. Retrieved From Https://Hms.Harvard.Edu/News/Genes-Immunity

 Peter J. Delves, P. (2021). EFFECT OF AGING ON IMMUNE SYSTEM. BIOLOGY

OF IMMUNE SYSTEM, 1. Retrieved From
Https://Www.Merckmanuals.Com/Home/Immune-Disorders/Biology-Of-The-
Immune-System/Effects-Of-Aging-On-The-Immune-System

 Torgan, C. (2015). Retrieved From Https://Www.Nih.Gov/News-Events/Nih-

Research-Matters/Immune-System-Shaped-Environment-More-Genes

 Tregoning, J. (2020). NEONATAL IMMUNOLOGY. Retrieved From

Https://Www.Immunology.Org/Public-Information/Bitesized-Immunology/Immune-
Development/Neonatal-Immunology

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