System, immune

System, immune
A complex system that is responsible for distinguishing us from everything foreign to us, and for protecting us against infections and foreign substances. The immune system works to seek and kill invaders. If a person is born with a severely defective immune system, death from infection by a virus bacterium, fungus or parasite may occur. In severe combined immunodeficiency, lack of an enzyme means that toxic waste builds up inside immune system cells, killing them and thus devastating the immune system. A lack of immune system cells is also the basis for DiGeorge syndrome: improper development of the thymus gland means that T cell production is diminished. Other immune disorders result from either an excessive immune response or an 'autoimmune attack'. Asthma, familial Mediterranean fever and Crohn disease (inflammatory bowel disease) all result from an over-reaction of the immune system, while autoimmune polyglandular syndrome and some facets of diabetes are due to the immune system attacking 'self' cells and molecules. A key part of the immune system's role is to differentiate between invaders and the body's own cells - when it fails to make this distinction, a reaction against 'self' cells and molecules causes autoimmune disease.

Medical dictionary. 2011.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Immune system — A scanning electron microscope image of a single neutrophil (yellow), engulfing anthrax bacteria (orange). An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and… …   Wikipedia

  • immune system — Anat. a diffuse, complex network of interacting cells, cell products, and cell forming tissues that protects the body from pathogens and other foreign substances, destroys infected and malignant cells, and removes cellular debris: the system… …   Universalium

  • immune system disorder — Introduction        Disorders of the immune systemany of various failures in the body s defense mechanisms against infectious organisms (see table (Disorders of the immune system)). Disorders of immunity include immune deficiency diseases, such… …   Universalium

  • immune system — noun a system (including the thymus and bone marrow and lymphoid tissues) that protects the body from foreign substances and pathogenic organisms by producing the immune response • Hypernyms: ↑system • Part Meronyms: ↑marrow, ↑bone marrow,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Immune response — Any reaction by the immune system. * * * immune response n a bodily response to an antigen that occurs when lymphocytes identify the antigenic molecule as foreign and induce the formation of antibodies and lymphocytes capable of reacting with it… …   Medical dictionary

  • system — systemless, adj. /sis teuhm/, n. 1. an assemblage or combination of things or parts forming a complex or unitary whole: a mountain system; a railroad system. 2. any assemblage or set of correlated members: a system of currency; a system of… …   Universalium

  • system — [[t]sɪ̱stəm[/t]] ♦ systems 1) N COUNT: usu with supp A system is a way of working, organizing, or doing something which follows a fixed plan or set of rules. You can use system to refer to an organization or institution that is organized in this… …   English dictionary

  • Immune privilege — is a term used to describe certain sites in the body which are able to tolerate the introduction of antigen without eliciting an inflammatory immune response. Tissue grafts are normally recognised as foreign antigen by the body and attacked by… …   Wikipedia

  • Immune tolerance in pregnancy — or gestational/maternal immune tolerance is the absence of a maternal immune response against the fetus and placenta, which thus may be viewed as unusually successful allografts, since they genetically differ from the mother.[1] In the same way,… …   Wikipedia

  • Immune tolerance — or immunological tolerance is the process by which the immune system does not attack an antigen.[1] It can be either natural or self tolerance , in which the body does not mount an immune response to self antigens, or induced tolerance , in which …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”