Aim: How can the immune system malfunction?

1
Aim How can the immune system malfunction?
2
How can your immune system malfunction?

1. Allergies
2. Autoimmune Disease
3. HIV
4. Organ Transplants

3
What is an allergy?

• An allergy is a rapid immune system reaction to
  normally harmless substances
• Can you think of materials that can cause
  allergic reactions?

4
What are things that cause allergies?
Allergens
LACTOSE
PEANUTS
BEE POLLEN
RAGWEED
HOUSE DUST
GLUTTEN
MOLD
5
What happens during an Allergic reaction?

• The allergen will bind to receptors on WBCs
  stimulating the production of histamines.
• Histamines are chemical that call trigger an
  inflammatory response
• May experience wheezing, hives, nausea, or shock
• What can we take for allergies?

ANTIHISTAMINES!
6
Autoimmune disease

• Disease characterized by a persons immune system
  mistakenly attacks itself
• The immune system may target the cells, tissues,
  and organs of a person's own body.

7
Examples of Autoimmune diseases
8
How can we contract HIV?

• Sexual intercourse
• Blood transfusion
• Passed through the placenta
• Open wound
• Sharing needles - drugs

9
What is HIV?

• It is a virus that attacks our immune system.
• How does our body know this is an enemy?

ANTIGEN
10
What part of our immune system does it attack?
HIV attacks special WBCs called T Helper Cells
White blood cells
11
Do you die from HIV?

• No, you dont die from the HIV infection, rather
  you die from the diseases/infections you get
  because your body cant defend itself. (ex
  pneumonia)
• These infections are called OPPORTUNISTIC
  INFECTIONS.

12
Why are organ transplants difficult?

• The cells of the donated organ will display the
  donors protein ID tags on all of the cells
• What are these ID tags called?

ANTIGENS!
13
How will the recipient react?

• If a transplanted organ is recognized as foreign,
  it will be attacked by the immune system of the
  recipient
• This is calls REJECTION

14
How do doctors reduce the chance of rejection?

• Using donors with very similar antigens to the
  recipient
• Immunosuppressant Drugs

What is the risk of suppressing the immune system?
It increases the patients risk for an infection.