Immunology

Immunology

Immunology

1. We need to win every time

2. Sea of filth

3. The enemy changes

4. Friend or foe?

5. The nuclear option

The Challenge

‘Asymmetric warfare describes a conflict in

which the resources of two belligerents differ

in essence and in the struggle, interact and

attempt to exploit each other's characteristic

weaknesses.’

1. Barrier

2. The innate immune system

3. The adaptive (or acquired) immune system.

Defense against pathogens

1.Reconnaissance

2.Recognition

3.Response

10m

Innate Immune System

Phagocytosis by a macrophage

Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Microbes

MACROPHAGE

Vacuole Lysosome

containing

enzymes

Streptococci 1 Macrophage 0

streptolysin

Cytokines

Released by macrophages

Alert the immune system

Prime macrophages

Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC)

Display both self and non-self antigens.

T cells kill them or coordinate killing

Pathogen Pin

Macrophage

Chemical signals

Capillary

Phagocytic cells

Red blood cell

Blood

clotting

elements

Blood clot

Phagocytosis

Inflammatory response

Innate Immune System (still)

•Macrophages

•Other Phagocytes

•The complement system

•Natural killer cells

Neutrophil engulfing anthrax bacteria. The micrograph was taken by Volker Brinkmann

with a Leo 1550 scanning electron microscope. Taken from PLoS Pathogens Vol. 1(3)

November 2005. Scale bar is 5 micrometers.

Complement System

INNATE IMMUNITY

Rapid responses to a

broad range of microbes

ACQUIRED IMMUNITY

Slower responses to

specific microbes

External defenses Internal defenses

Skin

Mucous membranes

Secretions

Phagocytic cells

Antimicrobial proteins

Inflammatory response

Natural killer cells

Humoral response

(antibodies)

Cell-mediated response

(cytotoxic

lymphocytes)

Invading

microbes

(pathogens)