IMM340H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Bone Marrow, Immunity (Medical), Bactericide
Document Summary
Tissues- bone marrow, thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, etc . Molecules- immune receptors, cytolytic molecules, cytokines, chemokines, etc . Main role of the immune system => recognition btwn self & non-self. Improper regulation can lead to problems (such as chronic inflammation) Non-self: microbes that require a host for survival. Some are innocuous & some are pathogenic: 4 classes of pathogens: Viruses, bacteria, fungi & parasites: numerous & diverse, evolve fast. The immune system needs to build tolerance to innocuous substances. Failure to do so can cause: allergies => food, pollen, dust & drugs. Inflammation (ibd) => intestinal microbiota (which is not only harmful but also helps the immune system) The immune system sometimes recognizes self as non-self => autoimmunity. Altered self => recognition by the immune system is more difficult. Cancer => difficult for the immune system to fight cancer cells as they are essentially self . Missing self => pathogens are sneaky! (esp. viruses)
