Immunology and Serology

PRELIMS: LECTURE-TOPIC 2 ROMILET D. DEL ROSARIO, RMT

TWO MAJOR BRANCHES OF IMMUNITY

Innate/natural immunity

• is the individual’
s ability to resist infection by means of normally present body functions. These
are considered nonadaptive or nonspecific and are the same for all pathogens or foreign
substances to which one is exposed. No prior exposure is required and the response lacks
memory and specificity. Many of these mechanisms are subject to influence by such factors
as nutrition, age, fatigue, stress, and genetic determinants

Acquired immunity/Adaptive immunity

• is a type of resistance that is characterized by specificity for each individual pathogen, or

microbial agent, and the ability to remember a prior exposure, which results in an increased
response upon repeated exposure.

Innate/natural immunity Acquired immunity/Adaptive immunity

• ______________________ • Not present at birth
• Standardized response for all Antigen • Diverse response for each antigen
• ______________________ • Capable of recalling previous antigen
• Responsible for the first and second linethus with ______________________
of defense in the body • Secondary immune response is greater
• ________________________ than primary immune response
• Responsible for the Third line of defense in
the body
• ______________________
Active Immunity-_____________________________________________________________.

Passive Immunity-_____________________________________________________________.

Point of Differentiation Active Immunity Passive Immunity

Natural Immunity

Artificial Immunity

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” 1

 Immunology and Serology
PRELIMS: LECTURE-TOPIC 2 ROMILET D. DEL ROSARIO, RMT

THE THREE LINES OF DEFENSE IN THE HUMAN BODY

First Line of Defense
The external defense system which is composed of structural barriers that prevent most infectious
agents from entering the body.

COMPOSITION
• Unbroken skin (pH of ________) and the mucosal membrane surfaces, Lactic acid in sweat,
and the acidity in GIT and Vagina (pH about 5), Cilia lining in respiratory tract, The flushing
action of urine
• Lactic acid in sweat, for instance, and sebum/fatty acids from sebaceous glands maintain
the skin at a pH of approximately 5.6. This acid pH keeps most microorganisms from
growing.
• Keratinocytes found in the skin
• Lysozyme, an enzyme found in many secretions such as tears and saliva, and it attacks the
cell walls of microorganisms, especially those that are gram-positive.
• The production of earwax (cerumen) protects the auditory canals from infectious disease.
• Normal microbial flora in the body. Many locations of the body, there is normal flora that
often keeps pathogens from establishing themselves in these areas. This phenomenon is
known as____________________________

Types of Barriers
Mechanical barriers -Skin, mucous membrane, cilia, mucus
Chemical barrier -Enzymes like lysozyme found in secretions
(tears, saliva, sweat) lactic acid in sweat
-HCL in the GI tract -Acid in urine
Biological barriers -Skin and mucous membrane (Steven's 4th
edition)
-Normal flora
Second Line of Defense
The internal defense system, in which both cells and soluble factors play essential parts. The
internal defense system is designed to recognize molecules that are unique to infectious
organisms.
COMPOSITION:
• Phagocytosis, Inflammation, Acute phase reactants, Anti-microbial substances such as
complement, Properdin, Interferon alpha and beta, TNF, and Betalysin
• Neutrophils are the first responder to infection

Cellular component Humoral component

Mast cells, Basophils, Eosinophil, Neutrophils, Complement, Lysozyme, Interferon alpha and
Macrophages, Dendritic cell, and NK cells beta

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” 2

 Immunology and Serology
PRELIMS: LECTURE-TOPIC 2 ROMILET D. DEL ROSARIO, RMT

Third Line of Defense

If a microorganism overwhelms the body’ s natural resistance, a third line of defensive resistance
exists.
Adaptive immunity can result in the elimination of microorganisms and recovery from disease and
the host often acquires a specific immunologic memory. This condition of memory or recall
(acquired resistance) allows the host to respond more effectively if reinfection with the same
microorganism occurs.
Cellular component Humoral component
T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, Plasma cells Antibodies, and cytokines

THE LYMPHOID SYSTEM

Primary Lymphoid Organs

Bone Marrow

• It can be considered the largest tissue of the body, with a

total weight of 1300 to 1500g in adult
• The bone marrow functions as the center for
___________________________________.
• Site where most blood cells mature including B cells and NK
cells.
• B cells received their name because they were originally
found to mature in birds in an organ called
the________________________, which is similar to the
___________in humans. After searching for such an organ
in humans, it was discovered that B-cell maturation takes
place within the bone marrow itself.

Thymus

• a small, flat, bilobed organ found in the thorax, or chest

cavity, right below the thyroid gland and overlying the heart
• Site where T cells mature and develop their identifying
characteristics.
• thymus reaches a weight of 30 to 40 g by puberty and then gradually shrinks in size
• Not fully mature T cells = resides in the cortex
• Mature T cells = resides in the medulla and then released

Secondary Lymphoid Organs

• Once lymphocytes mature in the primary organs, they are released and make their way to
secondary lymphoid organs.

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” 3

 Immunology and Serology
PRELIMS: LECTURE-TOPIC 2 ROMILET D. DEL ROSARIO, RMT

• It is within these secondary organs that the main contact with foreign antigens takes place
• Each lymphocyte spends most of its life span in solid tissue, entering the circulation only
periodically to go from one secondary organ to another. Lymphocytes in these organs travel
through the tissue and return to the bloodstream by way of the thoracic duct.
• The _____________is the largest lymphatic vessel in the body. It collects most of the body’ s
lymph fluid and empties it into the left subclavian vein. The majority of circulating lymphocytes
are T cells.
• Lymphopoiesis, or multiplication of lymphocytes, occurs in the secondary lymphoid tissue
and is strictly dependent on antigenic stimulation.
• Formation of lymphocytes in the bone marrow, however, is antigen-independent, meaning
that lymphocytes are constantly being produced without the presence of specific antigens.
• Most naïve or resting lymphocytes die within a few days after leaving the primary lymphoid
organs unless activated by the presence of a specific foreign antigen.
• Antigen activation gives rise to long-lived memory cells and shorter-lived effector cells that
are responsible for the generation of the immune response.

Spleen

• the largest secondary lymphoid organ, has

a length of approximately 12 cm and weighs
150 g in the adult.
• The organ can be characterized as a large
discriminating filter as it removes old and
damaged cells and foreign antigens from
the blood.
• Splenic tissue can be divided into two main
types:
• ___________: The red pulp makes
up more than one-half of the total
volume and its function is to destroy
old red blood cells (RBCs).
• ___________: comprises
approximately 20% of the total
weight of the spleen and contains the
lymphoid tissue, which is arranged
around arterioles in a periarteriolar lymphoid sheath (PALS)
a. PALS (periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths) -_______________
b. Primary follicles - _______________
c. Marginal zone- _______________

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” 4

 Immunology and Serology
PRELIMS: LECTURE-TOPIC 2 ROMILET D. DEL ROSARIO, RMT

Lymph Nodes

• serve as central collecting points for lymph fluid from adjacent tissues.
• Lymph fluid is a filtrate of the blood and arises from passage of water and low-molecular-
weight solutes out of blood vessel walls and into the interstitial spaces between cells. Some of
this interstitial fluid returns to the bloodstream through venules, but a portion flows through
the tissues and is eventually collected in thin-walled vessels known as_______________.
• the lymph nodes provide the ideal environment for contact with foreign antigens that have
penetrated into the tissues. The lymph fluid flows
slowly through spaces called sinuses, which are
lined with macrophages, creating an ideal
location where phagocytosis can take place.
• The node tissue is organized into an outer
cortex, a paracortex, and an inner medulla
a. Cortex-contains macrophages, follicular
dendritic cells, naïve or resting B cells (in
primary follicle), proliferating B cells and plasma
cells (in 2ndary follicles or Germinal centers)
b. Paracortex- _______________
c.Medulla-
___________________________________
• If contact with an antigen takes place, lymphocyte traffic shuts down. Lymphocytes able to
respond to a particular antigen proliferate in the node. Accumulation of lymphocytes and other
cells causes the lymph nodes to become enlarged, a condition known as _________________.

Other Secondary Organs

• ________________________________ (MALT) Found in the gastrointestinal, respiratory,

and urogenital tract
✓ Some examples include the tonsils; appendix; and Peyer’s patches, a specialized type
of MALT located at the lower ileum of the intestinal tract.
✓ These mucosal surfaces represent some of the main ports of entry for foreign antigens,
and thus, numerous macrophages and lymphocytes are localized here.
• ________________________________ (CALT)- The skin is considered the largest organ in the
body and the epidermis contains a number of intraepidermal lymphocytes. Most of these are
T cells, which are uniquely positioned to combat any antigens that enter through the skin. In
addition, monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells are found here

“Procrastination is the thief of time.” 5