Body Defenses

By Bridgette Davies
• Pathogens and
microorganisms are the two
main types of pathogen.
Bacteria releases toxins and
viruses damage our cells.
White blood cells can ingest
and destroy pathogens. They
can also produce antibodies
to destroy pathogens.
Antitoxins neutralise toxins.
 Bacteria
Bacteria are microscopic organisms. They come in many
shapes and sizes.
Bacteria are living cells and can multiply rapidly. When in
the body they release poisons or toxins that make us feel
ill. The diseases caused by bacteria include:
• Food poisoning
• Cholera
• Typhoid
• Whooping cough
• Gonorrhoea (a sexually transmitted disease)
Bacteria can grow in soil, acidic hot springs, radioactive
waste, water, and deep in the earths crust.
 Disease or Virus?
Pathogens - viruses
Viruses are very much smaller than bacteria. They are along
with the smallest organisms recognized and consist of a
part of genetic material.
Viruses can only reproduce inside host cells, and they
damage the cell when they do this. A virus can get inside a
cell and, once there, take over and make hundreds of
thousands of copies of itself. Eventually the virus copies fill
the whole host cell and burst it open. The viruses are then
passed out in the bloodstream, the airways, or by other
routes.
Diseases caused by viruses include:
• influenza - flu
• colds
• measles
• mumps
• rubella
• chicken pox
• AIDS
White blood cells White Blood Cells
Functions of the white blood cells

A white blood cell ingesting disease-causing bacteria

White blood cells can:
ingest pathogens and destroy them
produce antibodies to destroy pathogens
produce antitoxins that neutralise the toxins released
by pathogens
In a written examination, it is easy to get carried away and
waffle on about things such as invaders and battles,
but stick to the point. Note that:
the pathogens are not the disease – they cause the
disease
white blood cells do not eat the pathogens – they
ingest them
antibodies and antitoxins are not living things – they
are specialised proteins
• Antibiotics
• Antibiotics are substances that kill bacteria or stop their growth. They do not work
against viruses: it is difficult to develop drugs that kill viruses without also damaging
the body’s tissues.
• How some common antibiotics work
• antibiotic how it works penicillin breaks down cell walls erythromycin in stops
protein synthesisneomycinstops protein synthesisvancomycinstops protein
synthesisciprofloxacin stops DNA replication Penicillin
•
• A bacterium damaged and distorted by penicillin
• The first antibiotic - penicillin - was discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming. He
noticed that some bacteria he had left in a petri dish had been killed by naturally
occurring penicillium mould.
• Since the discovery of penicillin, many other antibiotics have been discovered or
developed. Most antibiotics used in medicine have been altered chemically to make
them more effective and safer for humans.
• Resistance
• Bacterial strains can develop resistance to antibiotics. This happens because of
natural selection. In a large population of bacteria, there may be some cells that are
not affected by the antibiotic. These cells survive and reproduce, producing even more
bacteria that are not affected by the antibiotic.
• MRSA is methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. It is very dangerous because it is
resistant to most antibiotics. It is important to avoid over-use of antibiotics, so we can
slow down, or stop, the development of other strains of resistant bacteria.
• Cleanliness
• One simple way to reduce the risk of infection is to maintain personal hygiene and to
keep hospitals clean. In the 19th century, Ignaz Semmelweis realised the importance
of cleanliness in hospitals. However, although his ideas were successful, they were
ignored at the time because people did not know that diseases were caused by
pathogens that could be killed.
 White blood cells

The white blood cells

have a rather short
life cycle, living from
a few days to a few
weeks. A drop of
blood can contain
anywhere from 7,000
to 25,000 white blood
cells at a time. If an
invading infection
fights back and
persists, that number
will significantly
increase.
 Blood Vessels
• The blood vessels are the part of the
circulatory system that transport blood
throughout the body. There are three major
types of blood vessels: the arteries, which
carry the blood away from the heart; the
capillaries, which enable the actual exchange
of water and chemicals between the blood and
the tissues; and the veins, which carry blood
from the capillaries back toward the heart.
 The immune system
• The immune system is composed of many interdependent cell types
that collectively protect the body from bacterial, parasitic, fungal,
viral infections and from the growth of tumor cells. Many of these
cell types have specialized functions. The cells of the immune
system can engulf bacteria, kill parasites or tumor cells, or kill viral-
infected cells. Often, these cells depend on the T helper subset for
activation signals in the form of secretions formally known as
cytokines, lymphokines, or more specifically interleukins. The
purpose of this article is to review the organs, cell types and
interactions between cells of the immune system as a commentary
on their importance and interdependence on the T helper subset.
Such an understanding may help comprehend the root of immune
deficiencies, and perceive potential avenues that the immune
system can be modulated in the case of specific diseases.
Smallpox
Medicine
Medicine timeline
Glossary!
• the bodys defense system is the imune system and u
have white blood cells that fight viruses and remove the
quanity but if you get food poisining your body will throw
up until it is gone
• The defense system is related to the immune system.
Removing unwanted substances is a job to the liver and
kidneys. But they can't remove or expel any quantity of
unwanted substances. If the amount is high, the body
may become seriously intoxicated and needs medical
aid. Our skin also help the body to remove substances
through sweat. The immunologic system attacks
dangerous invaders with specialized white blood
defenders called leukocites and others.