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Immune System Vocab
Term | Definition |
---|---|
pathogen | a tiny organism that causes disease |
immune response | the third line of defense in which the immune system reacts to each pathogen with a specific defense for that pathogen |
pasturization | a heating process used to kill microorganisms in food such as milk and yogurt |
infectious disease | a disease that can be passed from one organism to another |
inflammatory response | the body’s response to pathogen in which fluid and white blood cells leak from blood vessels |
phagocyte | a white blood cell that engulfs pathogens and destroys them by breaking them down |
lympocyte | a white blood cell that reacts to each pathogen with a specific response |
T cell | cells that identify pathogens and distinguish one from another |
B cell | a lymphocyte that produces chemicals to destroy a specific kind of pathogen |
antigen | a molecule on a cell that the immune system can recognize as part the body or coming from outside the body |
antibody | a chemical produced by a B cell that destroys a specific kind of pathogen |
immunity | the body’s ability to destroy pathogens before they cause disease |
active immunity | immunity that occurs when a persons immune system produces antibodies in response to the presence of a pathogen |
vaccination | the process by which harmless antigens are deliberately produced to a person’s body to produce active immunity |
vaccine | a substance used in a vaccination that consists of pathogens that have been weakened or killed but can still trigger the immune system into action |
passive immunity | the immunity in which the antibodies that fight disease come from another organism rather than your own body |
antibiotic | a chemical that kills bacteria or slows the growth without harming body cells |
allergy | a disorder in which the immune system is overly sensitive to a foreign substance- something not found in the body |
allergen | any substance that causes an allergy (pollen, dust mites) |
histamine | a chemical that is responsible for the symptoms of an allergy (watery eyes, sneezing) |