Unit 1 Traits Section 5 Infectious Agents and Immune System Response Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering infectious agents, immune system response, and related terms from Unit 1 Traits Section 5.

Microorganism

A living thing that is smaller than can be seen by the human eye.

Prokaryotes

Cells that do not have a nucleus or membrane bound organelles.

Bacteria

Microorganisms that have only one cell.

Pathogen

Any organism that can cause disease.

Antibiotic

Chemical that kills or slows the growth of bacteria.

Host

An organism that another organism lives within or on.

Capsid

The outer covering of the virus, made of protein.

Prion

An infectious particle made only of proteins that can cause other proteins to fold incorrectly.

Disease

Conditions within an organism that prevent it from functioning normally.

Immune system

The body’s defense mechanism, responsible for protecting the body from foreign substances and diseases.

Antivirals

Prescription medicines that stop viruses from multiplying in your body to help you recover faster.

Disinfection

The reduction of the number of microorganisms from a surface.

Sterilization

Kills or removes all microorganisms from a surface.

Immune responses

The detection by and reaction of the immune system to pathogens.

Leukocytes

White blood cells, which fight pathogens in the body.

Allergens

Antigens that trigger an immune response and cause the release of histamines.

Allergy

An oversensitivity to a normally harmless antigen.

Anaphylaxis

A condition that occurs when the immune system releases a large amount of histamine, which causes airways to tighten and blood vessels to become porous.

Histamines

Chemicals that alert various defenses, causing blood vessels to dilate (open up).

Lymph

A fluid that collects waste from the body’s cells.

Antigens

Protein markers on the surfaces of cells and viruses that help the immune system identify a foreign cell or virus.

Antibodies

A large, Y-shaped protein produced by white blood cells that identifies and neutralizes foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses.

Vector

Anything that carries a pathogen and transmits it into healthy cells.

Viruses

An infectious particle made only of a strand of DNA or RNA surrounded by a protein coat.

Gene therapy

Scientists use viruses to force cells to create the proteins that an unhealthy organism may need to survive.

Epidemic

A rapid outbreak of an infection that affects many people.

Antibiotic resistance

Occurs when bacteria mutate so that they are no longer affected by antibiotics.

Vaccine

A substance that contains the antigen of a pathogen.

Passive immunity

Immunity that occurs without the body undergoing an immune response.

Active immunity

Immunity that your body produces in response to a specific pathogen that has infected or is infecting your body.