Immunology Essay Questions

 

1)        Jill found an injured wild duck on the side of the road and picked it up to take it to her local veterinarian for care.  However, the duck died and a necropsy revealed that the duck had the avian bird flu (H5N1 strain of the virus).  A few days later Jill became sick.  Describe how Jill’s immune (innate and adaptive) system would respond in order to fight this infection (don’t forget to mention the main cells of the adaptive immune that are involved in combating an intracellular pathogen). 

2)        Jerry is a virologist studying the effects of swine influenza virus (SIV) on the immune system in pigs.  Jerry got sloppy and did not use all the right precautions when handling the SIV and became sick, but recovered after about two weeks.  Two weeks later Jerry was back at work and once again exposed himself to the SIV, however this time he did not get nearly as sick as the first time.  Please explain using words and diagrams the immunological reason for this phenomenon.

3)        Explain the process of phagocytosis from the phagocyte encountering the antigen to the killing of the antigen.  

4)        An antigen is floating around the extracellular fluid of the body.  Antibodies specific for that antigen attach to the antigen.   Name the two antibody interactions that could now occur.  Explain the different cells involved in these two interactions and how it leads to the exposal of the antigen.  

5)        Define Antigen, Pathogen, Antibody, Immunoglobulin, vaccination, and immunization.

6)        What is the difference between innate immunity and adaptive immunity? What is the difference between humoral and cellular?

7)        Draw and label a diagram of a tube of blood that has anticoagulants. Draw and compare this to a tube of centrifuged blood that has no anticoagulant.

8)        What is the blood composed of? What are the percentages in normal human blood?

9)        List the tissues of the lymphoid system. Which ones are considered primary tissues? Which are considered secondary?

10)   Make a table listing all of the immune cells discussed in lecture. Use the format below:

Immune cell

Histology

Precursor(s)

Locations

Classifications

Innate or adaptive

Basic functions/targets

T cell

Large, round nucleus

Lymphoid precursor

Pluripotent stem cell

Mature in Thymus

Circulate in blood and home to sites of infection

Lymphocyte

Mononuclear

Mostly adaptive

Cytotoxic killing

Helper cells

 

  1. Describe the differences between polymorphonuclear cells and lymphocytes.
  2. What are antigen presenting cells and name the three antigen presenting cells?
  3. What are the main differences between the innate and adaptive immune response?
  4. What is the difference between the humoral and cell-mediated immune response and which cells are involved in these different responses?
  5. What are the main white blood cells involved in the a) innate immune response and b) adaptive immune response?
  6. What are the main differences between T and B-cell antigen receptors?
  7. What is clonal selection?
  8. Describe the two mains the innate immune system uses to kill pathogens?
  9. Describe the process of antibody production from activation of the B-cell to the production of immunoglobulin?
  10. Describe the actions of the different T-lymphocytes.