Question

Write short notes on (a) Vaccination (b) Inflammatory response (C) Allergy (d) Autoimmune response, (e) AIDS, (f) Interferons, (g) Vectors, (h) Antibodies, (i) Monoclonal antibodies, (j) Stem cells

Answer 1

a) Vaccination is the administration of antigenic material to stimulate an individual's immune system to develop adaptive immunity to a pathogen.

b) The inflammatory response (inflammation) occurs when tissues are injured by bacteria, trauma, toxins, heat, or any other cause. The damaged cells release chemicals including histamine, bradykinin, and prostaglandins. These chemicals cause blood vessels to leak fluid into the tissues, causing swelling.

c) Allergy is a condition in which the immune system reacts abnormally to a foreign substance.

d) Autoimmunity is the system of immune responses of an organism against its own healthy cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrant immune response is termed an "autoimmune disease".

e) Acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

f) Interferons are a group of signaling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses.

g) A vector is an organism that does not cause disease itself but which spreads infection by conveying pathogens from one host to another.

h) An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large, Y-shaped protein produced mainly by plasma cells that is used by the immune

system.

j) Stem cells are cells that can differentiate into other types of cells, and can also divide in self-renewal to produce more of the same type of stem cells.