Vocabulary List #6
active immunity Immunity developed by an
individual in response to exposure to an antigen, leading to
production of antibody, effector cells, and memory
cells.
agammaglobulinemia (also hypogammaglobulinemia) A
deficiency of all major classes of serum
immunoglobulins.
anaphylaxis A reaction of immediate
hypersensitivity present in nearly all vertebrates which
results from sensitization of tissue-fixed mast cells by
cytotropic antibodies following exposure to antigen.
atopy A genetically determined abnormal state of
hypersensitivity as distinguished from hypersensitivity
responses in normal individuals, which are not genetically
determined.
autoimmunity Immunity to self antigens.
Chediak-Higashi syndrome A hereditary disease
involving a lysosomal defect in phagocytes, causing
ineffective lysis of bacteria following phagocytosis.
deficiency disease A disease where either a
component is absent or nonfunctional.
desensitization A process whereby an individual is
immunized with specific antigens in such a way as to promote
the development of blocking antibodies, which in turn will
reduce a hypersensitivity reaction to those antigens.
DiGeorge syndrome Congenital thymic aplasia,
resulting in severe T cell deficiency.
erythroblastosis fetalis Hemolytic anemia of the
newborn caused by transplacental transmission of maternal
antibodies, usually secondary to an Rh incompatibility in a
prior pregnancy.
Goodpasture's syndrome An autoimmune disease
involving primarily antibodies to basement membranes,
leading to glomerularnephritis and pulmonary hemorrhage.
granuloma A mass of granulation tissue consisting
of phagocytic cells, among other things, often the result of
persistent inflammation caused by a pathogen.
graft versus host disease (also GVH) Clinical and
pathologic sequelae of the reactions of immunocompetent
cells in a graft against the cells of the histoincompatible
and immunodeficient recipient.
Hashimoto's thyroiditis An autoimmune disease
involving antibodies to thyroglobulin and to microsomal
antigens.
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Hodgkin's disease A malignant lymphoma of a mixed
cell type, frequently leading to defects in cellular
immunity.
hypersenitivity A state of reactivity with
characteristic symptoms to certain substances (allergens) in
amounts innocuous to normal individuals.
iatrogenic diseases Diseases resulting from a
therapeutic treatment by a physician or surgeon.
immune complexes Antigen-antibody complexes.
opportunistic pathogens Organisms which normally
do not cause disease, but do so when an individual is immune
compromised.
passive immunity Transfer of preformed antibodies
or cells from an immune host to a second non-immune
individual; does not confer lasting protection.
reagin Archaic term for IgE.
rheumatoid factor Auto-antibody specific for IgG,
found in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other
rheumatoid diseases.
serum sickness An adverse immunologic response to
a foreign antigen, frequently a heterologous protein,
resulting in immune complexes diffusing into involved
tissues and activating complement.
severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) A
hereditary disease in which both cellular and humoral
immunity fails to develop, thought to be a defect at the
stem cell to T and B cell development stage.
systemic anaphylaxis A generalized shock reaction
to an allergen resulting in respiratory distress,
gastrointestinal upset, hypotension, and often skin
rash.
systemic lupus erythematosis (SLE) An autoimmune
disease characterized by anti-nuclear antibodies leading to
multiple organ involvement.
tolerance The specific absence of an immune
response to an antigen.
thymic aplasia Lacking a thymus.
thymic dysplasia Abnormal or defective thymus.
type I hypersensitivity IgE mediated, involves
triggering of mast cells which release a variety of
compounds including histamine and slow-reacting substance of
anaphylaxis (SRS-A).
type II hypersensitivity IgG or IgM mediated,
involves activating complement and cell lysis.
type III hypersensitivity IgG or IgM mediated,
involves immune complexes activating complement and
inflammation reactions brought on particularly by
neutrophils.
type IV hypersensitivity Sensitized T cells,
usually Tdth, react to antigen, producing inflammation
through the action of lymphokines.
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