Immune System and Infectious Agents

These flashcards include key terms and definitions related to the immune system and infectious agents, important for exam preparation.

Lupus

An autoimmune disorder where the immune system attacks its own cells.

Pathogenic agents

Organisms that cause damage to the host organism in which they invade.

Virulence

The severity of disease induced by a pathogen.

Bacteria

Unicellular organisms, often with a cell wall, that can produce enzymes and toxins.

Viruses

Infectious agents, consisting of RNA or DNA enclosed in a protein capsid, that need host cells to replicate.

Fungi

Eukaryotic organisms that can be unicellular or multicellular and produce spores.

Protozoans

Unicellular eukaryotic organisms that interfere with normal cellular functions.

Multicellular parasites

Organisms that live within a host, growing by consuming host nutrients.

Prions

Infectious proteins that cause disease, particularly in nervous tissue.

Immune cells

Specialized cells, such as leukocytes, that are crucial for the immune response.

Cytokines

Small proteins released by cells to regulate immune activities and facilitate communication.

Antigens

Molecules that trigger an immune response, often found on the surface of pathogens.

Antibodies

Proteins produced by B cells in response to specific antigens.

Autoimmune disorders

Conditions where the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own self-antigens.

Cross-reactivity

When the immune system confuses a foreign antigen for a self-antigen due to structural similarity.

Altered self-antigens

Changes in body proteins induced by microbes that trigger an immune response as if they were foreign.