Question

2. A patient walks into the doctor’s office with a skin infection that appeared just 2 hours before. The doctor asks the patient if there was any trauma to the site, and the patient responds that about 4 hours ago, he accidentally pricked himself with a toothpick. The area appears red and inflamed.

a. Name all of the types of immune cell(s) the doctor will find upon a biopsy of the infection?

b. What cellular processes are the immune cells at the infection site performing to combat the infection?

c. What types of molecules are these cells releasing? What functions are the molecules secreted from these immune cells performing? (No need to provide the names of the molecules, just their category and function).

The next day (24 hours after infection), the doctor sees the patient again and the infection is still persisting (do not assume that the infection is any better or worse). She decides to remove the draining lymph node near the site of the infection, as well as a lymph node very distant from the infection as a control.

d. What cells will she find in the lymph node near the infection?

The doctor sends the patient home with no treatment. The patient comes back 6 days later with the same infection (do not assume that the infection is any worse or better).

e. The doctor decides to take another biopsy from the site of infection. What immune cell(s) does she find that were not present at the initial stages of infection?

f. What soluble molecules does she find at the site of infection (or in the blood) that were not present at the initial stages of infection?

Answer 1

2.a) The cells of the immune system can be categorized as lymhocytes(T -cellls, B - cells and NK cells)neutrophils, and monocytes/macrophages.these are all type of white blood cells.

b)The B Plasma cells and T cells are collectievely called effector cells because they are in effecting the immune response of killing pathogrns and infected host cells. That is efector B cells secrete antibodies,which can act over long distance to help eliminate extracellular pathogens and their toxins.Effector T cells,by contrast,act locally at site of infection to either kill infected host cells or help other cells to eliminate pathogens.

c) B cells produce immunoglobulin,which are antigen binding proteins.These immunoglobulin contain specific antigen biding sites that vary in amino acid sequence from one antibody molecule to another.

There are 3 main type of T cells:cytptoxic,helper and regulatory. Cytotoxic T cells have a receptor called CD8 on their cell surface.CD8 partners with the T cells receptor and with MHC class 1 molecules,acting as a sort bridge.

d)