The Immune System and VaccinationAQA GCSE Biology: Flashcards
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Name four non-specific defences of the human body.
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- Name four non-specific defences of the human body.
- Skin, nose (hairs and mucus), trachea and bronchi (cilia and mucus), and the stomach (hydrochloric acid).
- What is phagocytosis?
- The process by which a white blood cell engulfs and digests a pathogen.
- What is an antibody?
- A protein produced by white blood cells that binds to a specific antigen on a pathogen to help destroy it.
- What is an antitoxin?
- A substance produced by white blood cells that neutralises toxins made by pathogens.
- What does a vaccine contain?
- Small quantities of a dead or inactive form of a pathogen (or part of it).
- Why does the body respond faster the second time it meets the same pathogen after vaccination?
- White blood cells can recognise the pathogen and quickly produce the correct antibodies before it causes illness.
- How does widespread vaccination reduce disease spread in a population?
- With a large proportion of the population immune, the pathogen has fewer people to infect, reducing overall spread.
- What is a monoclonal antibody?
- An identical antibody produced from a single clone of cells, specific to one antigen.
- What is a hybridoma cell?
- A cell formed by fusing an antibody-producing lymphocyte with a tumour cell, used to mass-produce a monoclonal antibody.
- Outline the steps in producing monoclonal antibodies.
- Stimulate mouse lymphocytes to make a specific antibody; fuse them with tumour cells to form hybridomas; hybridomas divide and produce antibody; collect and purify the antibody.
- Give an example of monoclonal antibodies used in diagnosis.
- Pregnancy tests, which detect a specific hormone.
- How can monoclonal antibodies be used to treat cancer?
- They can be attached to a radioactive substance or toxic drug and delivered directly to cancer cells, sparing healthy cells.
- How are monoclonal antibodies used in research?
- They can locate specific molecules in cells or tissues, often using attached fluorescent dyes.
- Why is the stomach's hydrochloric acid classed as a non-specific defence?
- It kills many types of pathogen in general, rather than targeting one specific type.
- What role do cilia and mucus play in the trachea and bronchi?
- Mucus traps pathogens and dust, and cilia move it away from the lungs.