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IMMUNE SYSTEM
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What is Immune System?

 It is a network of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to

defend the body against attacks by foreign invaders.

 These are primarily microbes, a tiny organisms such as bacteria,

parasites, and fungi that can cause infections.

 The human body provides an ideal environment for many

microbes. It is the immune system’s job to keep them out or,
failing that, to seek out and destroy them.
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Function of Immune System

 To protect the host from environmental agents such as microbes

or chemicals, thereby preserving the integrity of the body. This is
done by the recognition of self and response to non-self.

 To protect from pathogens

 Intracellular (ex. Viruses and some bacteria and parasites)

 Extracellular (ex. Most bacteria, fungi, and parasites)

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 Cells of the Immune System are:

 Distributed throughout the body in the blood, lymph, epithelial, and
connective tissue

 Arranged in small spherical nodules found in connective tissue and

inside various organs

 Organized as differently sized organs, lymphoid organs, the lymph

nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow
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 The first part of the immune system that meets invaders such as
bacteria is a group of proteins called the complement system

 These proteins flow freely in the blood and can quickly reach the
site of an invasion where they can react directly with antigens
molecules that the body recognizes as foreign substances.

 When activated, the complement proteins can:

 Trigger inflammation

 Attract eater cell such as macrophage to the area

 Coat intruders so that eater cells are more likely to eat them

 Kill intruders
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Immunity

Innate Immunity Adaptive Immunity

Cellular Humoral Cellular Humoral

Components Components Components Components
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Functional Basis of Immune System

 The Immune system is composed of two major subdivisions:

 The Innate or Nonspecific Immune System
 Primary defense mechanism against invading organisms

 The Adaptive or Specific Immune System

 Acts as second line of defense
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First-Line Defenses or Innate Immune System

 The body’s first line of defense against pathogens uses mostly

physical and chemical barriers such as:
 Skin- acts as a barrier to invasion

 Sweat- has chemicals which can kill different pathogens

 Tears- have lysozyme which has powerful digestive abilities that

render antigen harmless

 Saliva- also has lysozyme

 Mucus- can trap pathogens, which are then sneezed, coughed,

washed away or destroyed by chemicals

 Stomach acid- destroys pathogens

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Second Line of Defense
Nonspecific response
Actions of The Second Line of Defense

 Inflammation
 Signs and symptoms characterized by:
 Redness, warmth, swelling, pain, and possible loss of function

 Fever
 Initiated by circulating pyrogens which reset the hypothalamus to increase body
temperature signals muscles to increase heat production and vasoconstriction

 Phagocytes and Phagocytosis

 3 main types of phagocytes:

1. Neutrophil– react early to bacteria and other foreign materials and to damage
tissue

2. Eosinophils- attracted to sites of parasitic infections and antigen-antibody

reactions
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where they become fixed and turn into macrophages

 Interferon
 Small protein produced by certain white blood cells and tissue cells
 Alpha interferon- lymphocytes and macrophages
 Beta interferon- fibroblast and epithelial cells
 Gamma interferon- T cells

 Inhibit expression of cancer genes

 Complement
 Consist of 26 blood proteins that work in concert to destroy bacteria
and viruses
 Activated by and work with the antibodies
 They cause bursting of cells and signal to phagocytes that a cell needs
to be removed
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Third Line of Defense
Specific Defense
 Includes specific host defenses that must be developed uniquely
foe each microbe through the action of specialized white blood
cells

 This form of immunity is marked by its activity toward specific

pathogens and creation of immunological memory

 Two features that characterized specific immunity:

 Specificity- antibodies produced, function only against the antigen
that they were produced in response to
 Memory- lymphocytes are programmed to recall their first
encounter with antigen and respond rapidly to subsequent
encounters
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PHAGOCYTES

 This is a group of immune cells specialized in finding and eating

bacteria, viruses, and dead or injured body cells

 There are three main types of phagocytes:

1. Granulocytes

 Often take the first stand during an infection

 They attack any invaders in large numbers, and eat until they die

 A small part of the granulocyte community is specialized in

attacking larger parasites such as worms
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2. Macrophages
 As known as big eaters

 Slower to respond to invaders than the granulocytes, but they are

larger, live longer, and have far greater capacities

 It also play a key part in alerting the rest of the immune system of
invaders

3. Dendritic cells
 Are eater cells and devour invaders, like the granulocytes and
macrophages

 It help with the activation of the rest of the immune system

 They are also capable of filtering body fluids to clear them of

foreign organisms and particles
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LYMPHOCYTES
T cells and B cells

 WBC called Lymphocytes originate in the bone marrow but

migrate to parts of the lymphatics system such as lymph nodes,
spleen, and thymus.

 There are two main types of lymphatic cells

 T cells

 B cells
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T CELLS

 T cells come in two different types

 Helper cells

 Killer cells

 They are names T cells after the thymus, an organ situated

under the breastbone

 It is produced in the bone marrow and later move to the thymus

where they mature
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 Helper T cells
 Major driving force and the main regulators of the immune defense

 Their primary task is to activate B cells and killer T cells

 It should be activated. Once activated, helper T cells start to divide

and to produce proteins that activate B and T cells as well as other
immune cells

 Killer T cells
 Specialized in attacking cells of the body infected by viruses and
sometimes also by bacteria

 It can also attack cancer cells

 It has receptors that are used to search each cell that it meets. If a
cell is infected, it is swiftly killed.
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B CELLS

 The B lymphocytes cell searches for antigen matching its

receptors

 B cells needs proteins produced by helper T cells to become

fully activated and to start dividing to produce clones to itself.

 During this process, two new cell types are created:

 Plasma cells

 B memory cells
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 Plasma cell
 Specialized in producing a specific protein called antibody that will
respond to the same antigen that matched the B cell receptor
 Antibodies are released from the plasma cell so that they can seek out
intruders and help destroy them
 It can produce antibodies at an amazing rate and can release tons of
thousands of antibodies per second

 Memory cells
 The second cell type produced by the division of B cells
 These cells have a prolonged life span and can thereby remember
specific intruders
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Organs of Immune System

 Primary Lymphoid Organs

 Bone Marrow and Thymus

 Maturation Site

 Secondary Lymphoid Organs

 Spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils

 Peyer’s Patches and MALT (Mucosal Associated Lymph Tissue)

 GALT (Gut Associated Lymph Tissue)

 Trap antigen, APC, Lymphocyte Proliferation

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Thymus

 A bilobed organ in your upper chest, behind the breastbone,

where lymphocytes called T cells grow and mature during
childhood

 When you reach adulthood, your mature T cells can divide to

make new T cells

 95-99% of T cells die in thymus

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Bone Marrow

 The soft tissue inside your bones where all blood cells, including
lymphocytes, are made

 Bone marrow produces T cells and other lymphocytes called B

cells
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Spleen

 Fist-sized organ and it is the largest mass of lymphatic tissue in

the body, and is found between stomach and diaphragm

 As well as acting as a store for platelets, it has two main

functions:
 It reacts to the blood borne antigens, by producing antibodies. In
fact it is the main source of circulating antibodies

 It removes defective red blood cells and platelets form the

circulation
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Lymphoid Tissue

 Or “clumps”

 Their job is to trap antigens and present them to lymphocytes to

trigger an immune response

 Lymphoid tissue along with gastrointestinal tract include the

tonsils and adenoids (which are located behind the throat and
nose) and the appendix (small organ attached to the large
intestine)

 You also have areas of lymphoid tissue along your respiratory

system
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 Other important parts of the immune system include lymph vessels
and lymph nodes:
 Lymph vessels pick up wastes such as protein, cellular debris,
bacteria, and viruses that leak out of the body’s blood vessels. This
waste-containing fluid is called lymph, and it travels through the lymph
vessels into the lymph nodes. You have lymph vessels throughout your
body, in much the same way that you have blood vessels (arteries and
veins).

 Lymph nodes are small, round organs that filter out bacteria, waste,
and other toxins and also contain infection-fighting white blood cells.
The nodes play a key role in recognizing and destroying these
substances while also signaling the body to launch an immune
response. You have clusters of lymph nodes in your groin, under your
arms, and in your neck, as well as more nodes located along other
lymphatic pathways in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.