Immune System definitions Flashcards

Disease-causing microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, and single-celled eukaryotes, that invade hosts and trigger immune responses.

Single-celled prokaryotic organisms that can be found in various environments, some of which can cause diseases in humans and other organisms.

Microscopic infectious agents that replicate only inside living cells, causing diseases by hijacking host cellular machinery. They lack cellular structure and cannot survive independently.

A complex defense network in animals, composed of various cells and tissues, that protects against pathogens through innate and adaptive responses, including phagocytosis, cytokine release, and antigen presentation.

The body's first line of defense against pathogens, providing rapid, nonspecific responses through mechanisms like phagocytosis and cytokine release, without conferring long-term immunity.

The process by which immune cells engulf and digest pathogens or debris, using receptor-ligand interactions to recognize and internalize the target.

Signaling molecules that recruit and activate immune cells to the site of infection, enhancing the immune response.

The process where immune cells display pathogen fragments on their surface to activate specific immune responses by other cells.

Proteins produced by B cells that specifically bind to antigens, neutralizing pathogens or marking them for destruction by other immune cells.

Cells of the immune system that defend against pathogens through processes like phagocytosis, antigen presentation, and cytokine release. They include granulocytes and agranulocytes.

White blood cells with granules in their cytoplasm, involved in innate immunity, including neutrophils, eosinophils, and basophils, which perform functions like phagocytosis and releasing signaling molecules.

White blood cells lacking granules in their cytoplasm, including lymphocytes and monocytes, crucial for adaptive immunity and phagocytosis.

Immune cells that include T cells, B cells, and natural killer cells, crucial for adaptive immunity, recognizing and responding to specific pathogens, and producing antibodies.