Immune system anatomy flashcards

Study the cards, then practice on the patient.

Twenty flashcards on the immune system: lymphoid organs, innate defenses, T and B cells, antibodies, vaccines and allergy.

Your progress here is temporary and is lost when you close this page. Install Making Synapses free to keep it, with spaced repetition.

20 cards

Where does lymph return to the blood?: The subclavian veins, mainly through the thoracic duct.
Largest lymphoid organ?: Spleen.
Where do T cells mature?: Thymus.
Where do B cells mature?: Bone marrow.
Main infection risk after splenectomy?: Encapsulated bacteria such as pneumococcus, meningococcus and Hib.
First physical barrier against infection?: Intact skin and mucous membranes.
First white cells to reach an acute bacterial infection?: Neutrophils.
Cell that kills virus-infected cells without prior exposure?: Natural killer (NK) cell.
Role of CD4 T cells?: Helper cells that coordinate the immune response.
Role of CD8 T cells?: Cytotoxic cells that kill infected and abnormal cells.
MHC class I presents antigen to?: CD8 T cells.
MHC class II presents antigen to?: CD4 T cells.
First antibody made in a new infection?: IgM.
Antibody that crosses the placenta?: IgG.
Main antibody in breast milk and mucus?: IgA.
Antibody that arms mast cells in allergy?: IgE.
How does a vaccine protect?: It trains memory B and T cells to respond fast to the real germ.
First drug for anaphylaxis?: IM epinephrine in the outer thigh.
What fails in autoimmune disease?: Self-tolerance, so the immune system attacks the body's own tissue.
Driver of acute cellular transplant rejection?: Recipient T cells reacting to donor HLA antigens.