The Immune Response
Texto del Guión Gráfico
- achoo!
- Katie, a vaccinated elementary student, sneezed in class. This allowed pathogens (organisms that cause disease) to enter her body, triggering her immune response.
- The immune system is a complex network of cells, tissues, organs, and substances which help the body fight infections and other diseases. You are born with certain immunity called innate immunity. Innate immunity is nonspecific meaning it defends against a variety of pathogens. Katie's first line of defense is nonspecific and includes the skin, represented by the castle walls. In addition to the skin, mucous membranes, represented by the moat, help protect the body in the first line of defense. The pathogen is depicted by the evil wizard Merlin.
- Merlin made his way through the first line of defense and is greeted by the second line of defense. The second line is nonspecific and contains leukocytes, phagocytes, and chemical defenses pictured by the guards. Leukocytes, or white blood cells, have subcategories of granulocytes and agranulocytes. Granulocytes include neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils, which trigger responses such as inflammation and fever. Neutrophils and eosinophils can phagocytize pathogens. Phagocytosis is the ingestion of pathogens by phagocytes. Leukocytes additionally have 3 cell types that can kill extracellularly: natural killer lymphocytes, eosinophils, and neutrophils.
- Oh no! Merlin got past the second line of defense! Luckily the third line of defense is much trickier. The third line is acquired/specific, meaning it has a memory that allows it to quickly respond to a pathogen. Since Katie is vaccinated, she has specific immunity which is artificially acquired. Foreign molecules called antigens are what trigger a specific immune response. Antibodies are proteinaceous molecules that bind to antigens and neutralize them. A vaccination is meant to target a specific antigen that way it can easily recognize when the body comes into contact with it and respond quickly. The dragon depicts the specific artificially acquired immunity which is trained to target the evil wizard.
- The third line of defense also contains T Lymphocytes (T cells) which act directly against specific antigens. There are two types of T cells: cytotoxic or killer T cells which destroy certain cells, and helper T cells which activate B cells. B cells when activated produce either plasma cells, which make antibodies, or memory cells, which remember the same pathogen so antibodies can be produced faster in future infections. Merlin was no match for the third line of defense and was caught by an antigen presenting cell, a white blood cell that can grab and present an antigen. The king banished Merlin from the castle for life!
- Thanks to her immune system, Katie does not have any infections from pathogens!
Más de 30 millones de guiones gráficos creados