Immune System and Vaccine Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering the components, key terms, organs, and processes of the immune system and vaccination.

Pathogen

A germ, such as a virus or bacteria, that enters the body and can cause disease or make you sick.

Mucous membrane

A thin layer found in places like the nose, mouth, respiratory tract, and digestive tract that produces sticky mucus to trap germs and help stop them from entering the body.

Inflammatory system

A bigger alarm system in the body that causes redness, swelling, heat, and pain, helping immune cells get to the area to fight infection.

Macrophages

Phagocytic immune cells that surround, eat, and destroy pathogens while processing their antigens.

Phagocytes

Immune cells that destroy harmful particles.

Antigen

A substance on the surface of a pathogen that the immune system recognizes as foreign or harmful, acting like a lock to an antibody's key.

T-cells

A white blood cell that recognizes antigens, helps organize the immune system response, and activates other immune cells like B-cells.

B-cells

A type of white blood cell activated by T-cells that helps fight pathogens by producing antibodies that attach to specific antigens.

Antibodies

Proteins made by B cells with specific binding sites shaped to attach to matching antigens, helping identify, block, and destroy pathogens.

Memory B cells

Specialized B cells that remember a specific antigen so the immune system can respond faster and produce antibodies more quickly if the same pathogen enters again.

Bone marrow

The soft tissue inside your bones that produces cells in the immune system and makes white blood cells, including B and T cells.

Lymph nodes

Small, bean-shaped structures that filter lymph fluid, trap germs, and contain immune cells that help fight infection.

Lymph vessels

Thin tubes that carry immune cells around the body and connect the lymph nodes.

Lymph

Fluid that carries immune cells and helps remove waste, extra fluid, and germs from tissues.

Thymus

An organ that creates T and B cells.

Vaccine

A treatment containing a harmless part, weakened, or inactive version of a pathogen (or instructions) that teaches the immune system to recognize the pathogen without causing the actual disease.

Phagocytosis

The process where a phagocytic cell, such as a macrophage, surrounds and eats a pathogen.

Cilia

Structures in the respiratory system that help move mucus and trapped pathogens out of the body.