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Overview of the Immune System. Jennifer Nyland, PhD Office: Bldg #1, Room B10 Phone: 733-1586 Email: jnyland@uscmed.sc.edu. Teaching objectives. Recognize the significance of the immune system What is the role/purpose? What are the mechanisms of protection?
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Overview of the Immune System Jennifer Nyland, PhD Office: Bldg #1, Room B10 Phone: 733-1586 Email: jnyland@uscmed.sc.edu
Teaching objectives • Recognize the significance of the immune system • What is the role/purpose? • What are the mechanisms of protection? • Distinguish between the innate and adaptive immune response • What are the key features differentiating these two arms of the immune system?
Overview of the immune system • Purpose: • Protection from pathogens • Intracellular (viruses, some bacteria and parasites) • Extracellular (most bacteria, fungi, and parasites) • Eliminate modified or altered “self” • Cancer or transformed cells • Methods of defense: mechanical, cellular, humoral
Phases of the immune response • Pathogen recognition • Innate response is the same to repeated exposures of the same pathogen • Adaptive response matures over time; repeated exposure leads to faster response • Pathogen removal • Early response: innate • Later response: lymphocytes generate adaptive immune response and memory
Effects of the immune system • Beneficial • Protection from invader • Elimination of altered self • Detrimental • Inflammation (local damage and discomfort) • Damage to self (hypersensitivity or autoimmunity)
Balance Disease = (bolus of infection x virulence)/immunity infection immunity