Immunity

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Active immunity

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Immunity in an organism resulting from its own production of antibody or lymphocytes.

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Active strategies (plant defence)

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Adaptive immunity

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It is

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Affinity

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The phylogenetic relationship between two organisms or groups of organisms resulting in a resemblance in general plan or structure, or in the essential structural parts.

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Allergen

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Any substance, often a protein, that induces an allergy: common allergens include pollen, grasses, dust, and some medications.

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Allergy

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An abnormal reaction of the body to a previously encountered allergen introduced by inhalation, ingestion, injection, or skin contact, often manifested by itchy eyes, runny nose, wheezing, skin rash, or diarrhoea.

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Antibody

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An antigen-binding immunoglobulin, produced by B cells, that functions as the effector in an immune response.

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Antigen

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A foreign macromolecule that does not belong to the host organism and that elicits an immune response.

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Antigen-presenting cell

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A cell that displays antigen complexed with major histocompatibility complexes (MHCs) on their surfaces. Also known as antigen presentation.

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Artificial immunity

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U

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Autoimmune disease

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An immunological disorder in which the immune system turns against itself.

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B cell (or B lymphocyte)

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A type of lymphocyte that develops in the bone marrow and later produces antibodies, which mediate humoral immunity.

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Bacteria

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One of two prokaryotic domains, the other being the Archaea.

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Basophil

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A basophilic cell, tissue, organism, or substance.

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Cell-mediated immune response

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An immune response that does not involve antibodies.

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Clonal selection

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The mechanism that determines specificity and accounts for antigen memory in the immune system; occurs because an antigen introduced into the body selectively activates only a tiny fraction of inactive lymphocytes, which proliferate to form a clone of effector cells specific for the stimulating antigen.

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Complement protein

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Also known as complement system, is a part of the immune system that enhances (complements) the ability of antibodies and phagocytic cells to clear microbes and damaged cells from an organism, promotes inflammation, and attacks the pathogens cell membrane. They increase the efficiency of the antibodies.

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Cytokine

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In the vertebrate immune system, protein factors secreted by macrophages and helper T cells as regulators of neighboring cells.

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Dendritic cell

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A branching cell of the lymph nodes, blood, and spleen that functions as a network trapping foreign protein.

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Disease

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A disordered or incorrectly functioning organ, part, structure, or system of the body resulting from the effect of genetic or developmental errors, infection, poisons, nutritional deficiency or imbalance, toxicity, or unfavourable environmental factors; illness; sickness; ailment.

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Eosinophil

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Epitope

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A localised region on the surface of an antigen that is chemically recognised by antibodies; also called antigenic determinant.

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Fever

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An abnormal condition of the body, characterised by undue rise in temperature, quickening of the pulse, and disturbance of various body functions.

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Herd immunity

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Histamine

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A substance released by injured cells that causes blood vessels to dilate during an inflammatory response.

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HIV

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Human immunodeficiency virus, the infectious agent that causes AIDS; HIV is an RNA retrovirus.

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Host

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An organism on or in which a parasite lives. A recipient of grafted tissue.

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Humoral immune response

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Hypersensitive response (plant defence)

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Immune deficiency disease

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Immunisation

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The fact or process of becoming immune, as against a disease.

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Immunoglobulin

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One of the class of proteins comprising the antibodies.

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Infection

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An act or fact of infecting; state of being infected.

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Inflammation

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Redness, swelling, pain, tenderness, heat, and disturbed function of an area of the body, especially as a reaction of tissues to injurious agents.

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Innate immune response

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One of the two main immunity strategies found in vertebrates. It is an older evolutionary defense strategy, relatively speaking, and it is the dominant immune system response found in plants, fungi, insects, and primitive multicellular organisms.

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Interferon

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A chemical messenger of the immune system, produced by virus-infected cells and capable of helping other cells resist the virus.

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Lymph

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The colourless fluid, derived from interstitial fluid, in the lymphatic system of vertebrate animals.

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Lymph node

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A mass of spongy tissues, separated into compartments; located throughout the lymphatic system, lymph nodes remove dead cells, debris, and foreign particles from the circulation; also are sites at which foreign antigens are displayed to immunologically active cells.

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Lymphocyte

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A white blood cell.

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Macrophage

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An amoeboid cell that moves through tissue fibers, engulfing bacteria and dead cells by phagocytosis.

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Major histocompatibility class (MHC) I/II molecule

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A large set of cell surface antigens encoded by a family of genes. Foreign MHC markers trigger T-cell responses that may lead to the rejection of transplanted tissues and organs.

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Mast cell

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A type of noncirculating white blood cell, found in connective tissue, that is the major protagonist in allergic reactions; when an allergen binds to complementary antibodies on the surface of a mast cell, large amounts of histamine are released from the cell.

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Memory cell

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A clone of long-lived lymphocytes, formed during the primary immune response, that remains in a lymph node until activated by exposure to the same antigen that triggered its formation. Activated memory cells mount the secondary immune response.

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Monoclonal antibody

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A defensive protein produced by cells descended from a single cell; an antibody that is secreted by a clone of cells and, consequently, is specific for a single antigenic determinant.

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Monocyte

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A large, circulating white blood cell, formed in bone marrow and in the spleen, that ingests large foreign particles and cell debris.

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Natural immunity

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Natural killer (NK) cell

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A nonspecific defensive cell that attacks tumor cells and destroys infected body cells, especially those harbouring viruses.

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Neutrophil

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(of a cell or cell part) having an affinity for neutral dyes. A phagocytic white blood cell having a lobulate nucleus and neutrophil granules in the cytoplasm.

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Non-self

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Foreign materials

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Opsonization

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An immune response in which the binding of antibodies to the surface of a microbe facilitates phagocytosis of the microbe by a macrophage.

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Passive immunity

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Pathogen

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An organism or a virus that causes disease.

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Pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)

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Pattern recognition receptor (PRR)

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Perforin

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A protein produced by killer cells of the immune system that causes disintegration of targeted cells by forming pores in their membranes.

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Phagocyte

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Any cell, as a macrophage, that ingests and destroys foreign particles, bacteria, and cell debris.

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Phagocytosis

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A type of endocytosis involving large, particulate substances.

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Plasma cell

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A derivative of B cells that secretes antibodies.

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Self

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Body cells

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T cell

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A type of lymphocyte responsible for cell-mediated immunity that differentiates under the influence of the thymus.

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T cytotoxic lymphocyte

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A type of white blood cell that kills cancer cells, cells that are infected (particularly with viruses), or cells that are damaged in other ways.

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T helper lymphocyte

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Helper T cells are the most important cells in adaptive immunity, as they are required for almost all adaptive immune responses. They not only help activate B cells to secrete antibodies and macrophages to destroy ingested microbes, but they also help activate cytotoxic T cells to kill infected target cells.

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Virus

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A submicroscopic, noncellular particle composed of a nucleic acid core and a protein coat; parasitic; reproduces only within a host cell.