Immune System Vocabulary

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AIDS/HIV

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a disease in which there is a severe loss of the body's cellular immunity, greatly lowering the resistance to infection and malignancy.

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Allergy

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a damaging immune response by the body to a substance, especially pollen, fur, a particular food, or dust, to which it has become hypersensitive.Anti

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Antibiotic

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a medicine (such as penicillin or its derivatives) that inhibits the growth of or destroys microorganisms.

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Antibody

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a blood protein produced in response to and counteracting a specific antigen. Antibodies combine chemically with substances that the body recognizes as alien, such as bacteria, viruses, and foreign substances in the blood.

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Antigen

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a toxin or other foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies.

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B-Cells

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a lymphocyte not processed by the thymus gland, and responsible for producing antibodies.

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Dendritic Cells

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Dendritic cells (DCs) are antigen-presenting cells (also known as accessory cells) of the mammalian immune system. Their main function is to process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the T cells of the immune system. They act as messengers between the innate and the adaptive immune systems.

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Fever

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an abnormally high body temperature, usually accompanied by shivering, headache, and in severe instances, delirium.

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Histamine

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a compound that is released by cells in response to injury and in allergic and inflammatory reactions, causing contraction of smooth muscle and dilation of capillaries.

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Immunity

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the ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin by the action of specific antibodies or sensitized white blood cells.

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Immunology

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the branch of medicine and biology concerned with immunity.

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inflammation

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a localized physical condition in which part of the body becomes reddened, swollen, hot, and often painful, especially as a reaction to injury or infection.

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interferon

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a protein released by animal cells, usually in response to the entry of a virus, that has the property of inhibiting virus replication.

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Lymph Nodes

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ach of a number of small swellings in the lymphatic system where lymph is filtered and lymphocytes are formed.

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Lymphocyte

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a form of small leukocyte (white blood cell) with a single round nucleus, occurring especially in the lymphatic system.

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Macrophage

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a large phagocytic cell found in stationary form in the tissues or as a mobile white blood cell, especially at sites of infection.

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Natural Killer Cell

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a lymphocyte able to bind to certain tumor cells and virus-infected cells without the stimulation of antigens, and kill them by the insertion of granules containing perforin.

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Pathogen

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a bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease

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Pus

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a thick yellowish or greenish opaque liquid produced in infected tissue, consisting of dead white blood cells and bacteria with tissue debris and serum.

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Pyrogen

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

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Spleen

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an abdominal organ involved in the production and removal of blood cells in most vertebrates and forming part of the immune system.

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T-Cells

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a lymphocyte of a type produced or processed by the thymus gland and actively participating in the immune response.

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Thymus

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a lymphoid organ situated in the neck of vertebrates that produces T cells for the immune system. The human thymus becomes much smaller at the approach of puberty.

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Tonsil

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either of two small masses of lymphoid tissue in the throat, one on each side of the root of the tongue.

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Toxin

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an antigenic poison or venom of plant or animal origin, especially one produced by or derived from microorganisms and causing disease when present at low concentration in the body.

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Vaccine

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a substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.

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Phagocyte

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a type of cell within the body capable of engulfing and absorbing bacteria and other small cells and particles.