Kristian Thomas

Unit 8 Assignment 1: The Immune System

How does the immune

system react to a
pathogen?
The human immune
response system
recognizes pathogens and
act to remove,
immobilize, or neutralize
them. The immune
system relies on several
components to fight an
infecting pathogen. It
fights off the pathogen by
Leukocytes also known as
white blood cells. When a
pathogen enters the body
the immune system
becomes alert to it and
sends out sends out the
Phagocytes (a type of
Leukocytes) which engulf
the pathogens. If the
body has a weak immune
system, the pathogens
eventually overtake the
body which can result in a
disease.
How do the different
pieces of the immune
system work together?
The bone marrow, the
lymph nodes, the spleen,
and the thymus are the
organs that are part of
the immune system, all of
which work together to
produce the different
types of white blood cells
which keep you alive.
What is the difference
between a primary and
secondary immune
response?

Primary: the body is

first exposed to
antigen, lymphocyte is
activated. Secondary:
same antigen is
encountered at a later
time. It is faster and
of greater magnitude.
How do immunizations
work?
Immunizations work by
keeping a person safe
from contracting a
disease later. If a
person were immunized
against a disease,
exposure to the disease
would immediately set up
an immune response,
thus protecting the
person from actually
getting the disease.
What is the difference
between active and
passive immunity in
regard to
immunization?
Active immunity is a form
of immunity that
develops after a primary
immune response, which
is a response to exposure
to a live pathogen and
development of
symptoms. The cells
produce the antibodies
themselves. Passive
immunity is a form of
immunity in which a
person's cells do not
produce the antibodies;
they receive them by an
injection of antibodies or
antitoxin.

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What are the risk and

benefits of
immunizations?
The Benefits: Vaccines
are one of the greatest
public health
achievements of all time.
There are many, many
good reasons to vaccinate
your children. Vaccines
save lives, save time and
money, and can protect
those who cant protect
themselves. The Risks:
No medical intervention
(vaccination included) is
100% risk free, and there
are side effects that
occur, but vary by
vaccine and age of the
patient.
In your opinion, should
children be
immunized?
I think children should be
immunized because it
protects them from
disease. But I do have
some reservations about
some of the newer
immunizations only
because there is not
enough information on
them. So I fear for safety
of my childs health.
References
Thews G, Mutschaler E,
Vaupel P. Anatomie,
Physiologie,
Pathophysiologie des
Menschen. Stuttgart:
Wissenschaftliche
Verlagsgesellschaft. 2012

Kristian Thomas
Schaffler A, Schmidt S.
Biologie, Anatomie,
Physiologie. Stuttgart:

Unit 8 Assignment 1: The Immune System

Gustav Fischer Verlag.
2012

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