Immunology and Reproductive System Flashcards

Flashcards for Chapters 24 and 26 review.

Antibiotics

A medicine that inhibits the growth of or destroys bacteria.

Nonspecific immunity (Skin)

Immunity that an organism is born with; includes physical barriers such as skin and mucous membranes.

Actively acquired immunity

Immunity resulting from the development of antibodies in response to an antigen, as from vaccination or exposure to an infectious disease.

Chemotaxins

Chemical signals that attract leukocytes (white blood cells) to the site of infection or inflammation.

Opsonins

Antibodies or other substances that bind to antigens, enhancing phagocytosis.

Pyrogen

A substance, typically produced by a bacterium, that produces fever when introduced or released into the body.

Helper T cells

A type of T cell that helps activate other immune cells, such as B cells and cytotoxic T cells.

T lymphocytes

A type of lymphocyte (white blood cell) responsible for cell-mediated immunity.

Allergies

A condition in which the immune system reacts abnormally to a foreign substance.

Autoimmune diseases

A disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own cells and tissues.

Cell-mediated immunity

An immune response that does not involve antibodies, but rather involves the activation of phagocytes, antigen-specific cytotoxic T-lymphocytes, and the release of various cytokines.

SRY

The sex-determining region Y protein is a DNA-binding protein/transcription factor that is responsible for the initiation of male sex determination in humans.

Müllerian ducts

Ducts present in the embryo that will develop into the female reproductive tract.

Wolffian duct

Ducts present in the embryo that will develop into the male reproductive tract.

Leydig

Cells in the testes that produce testosterone.

Cryptorchidism

A condition in which one or both testicles fail to descend from the abdomen into the scrotum.

seminiferous tubules

The site of sperm production in the testes.

bulbourethral glands

Glands that secrete a lubricating mucus that cleans and lubricates the urethra prior to and during ejaculation.

capacitation

The changes sperm undergo in the female reproductive tract that allow them to fertilize an egg.

fallopian tube

The tube through which an egg travels from the ovary to the uterus.

fimbriae

Finger-like projections at the end of the fallopian tube that help sweep the egg into the tube.

Corpus luteum

The structure that develops from the ovarian follicle after ovulation and that secretes progesterone and estrogen.

Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)

A hormone produced by the placenta after implantation; used to test for pregnancy.