adaptive immunity

(noun)

the components of the immune system that adapt themselves to each new disease encountered and are able to generate pathogen-specific immunity.

Related Terms

Examples of adaptive immunity in the following topics:

  • Overview of Adaptive Immunity

    • The adaptive immune system works to protect and heal the body when the innate immune system fails.
    • The adaptive immune system starts to work after the innate immune system is activated.
    • The adaptive immune response occurs a few days after the innate immune response occurs.
    • The major functions of the adaptive immune system include:
    • A typical adaptive immune response includes several steps:

  • Types of Adaptive Immunity

    • The adaptive immune response is mediated by B and T cells and creates immunity memory.
    • The adaptive immune system mounts a stronger, and antigen specific immune response after the innate immune response fails to prevent a pathogen from causing an infection.
    • There are two subdivisions of the adaptive immune system: cell-mediated immunity, and humoral immunity.
    • Humoral immunity refers to the component of the adaptive immune response that is caused by B cells, antibodies, and type 2 helper T-cells (Th2), as well as circulating mast cells and eosinophils to a smaller extent.
    • Antibodies to provide a number of functions in humoral immunity.

  • Adaptive Immunity and the Immunoglobulin Superfamily

    • The defining characteristics of adaptive immunity are specificity for distinct molecules and an ability to "remember" and respond more vigorously to repeated exposures to the same microbe.
    • The components of adaptive immunity are lymphocytes and their products.
    • There are two types of adaptive immune responses: humoral immunity and cell-mediated immunity.
    • They are commonly associated with roles in the immune system.
    • Describe the role of immunoglobulins in the adaptive immune response, specifically in humoral immunity

  • Primary and Secondary Antibody Responses

    • The immune system protects organisms from infection first with the innate immune system, then with adaptive immunity.
    • Pathogens can rapidly evolve and adapt to avoid detection and neutralization by the immune system.
    • Both innate and adaptive immunity depend on the ability of the immune system to distinguish between self and non-self molecules.
    • This type of immunity is both active and adaptive because the body's immune system prepares itself for future challenges.
    • Generalize the role of the innate and adaptive immune system in regards to antibody response

  • Antigen-presenting Cells: B and T cells

    • The adaptive immune response activates when the innate immune response insufficiently controls an infection.
    • In fact, without information from the innate immune system, the adaptive response could not be mobilized.
    • The two types of lymphocytes of the adaptive immune response are B and T cells .
    • It is the specific pathogen recognition (via binding antigens) of B and T cells that allows the adaptive immune response to adapt.
    • Explain the role played by B and T cells in the adaptive immune system

  • Immunological Memory

    • Immunological memory allows the adaptive immune system to very rapidly clear infections that it has encountered before.
    • The adaptive immune system has a memory component that allows for a rapid and large response upon re-invasion of the same pathogen.
    • During the adaptive immune response to a pathogen that has not been encountered before, known as the primary immune response, plasma cells secreting antibodies and differentiated T cells increase, then plateau over time.
    • One reason why the adaptive immune response is delayed is that it takes time for naïve B and T cells with the appropriate antigen specificities to be identified, activated, and proliferate.
    • The immune response to vaccination may not be perceived by the host as illness, but still confers immune memory.

  • Physical and Chemical Barriers

    • The immune system comprises both innate and adaptive immune responses.
    • It is not induced by infection or vaccination, but is constantly available to reduce the workload for the adaptive immune response.
    • The adaptive immune response expands over time, storing information about past infections and mounting pathogen-specific defenses.
    • Both the innate and adaptive levels of the immune response involve secreted proteins, receptor-mediated signaling, and intricate cell-to-cell communication.
    • In the innate immune response, any pathogenic threat triggers a consistent sequence of events that can identify the type of pathogen and either clear the infection independently or mobilize a highly-specialized adaptive immune response.

  • Overview of the Immune System

    • Pathogens can rapidly evolve and adapt to avoid detection and neutralization by the immune system.
    • If pathogens successfully evade the innate response, vertebrates possess a second layer of protection, the adaptive immune system, which is activated by the innate response.
    • The immune system adapts its response during an infection in order to improve its recognition of the pathogen.
    • Both innate and adaptive immunity depend on the ability of the immune system to distinguish between self and non-self molecules, where self molecules are those components of an organism's body that can be distinguished from foreign substances by the immune system.
    • A further subdivision of adaptive immunity is characterized by the cells involved; humoral immunity is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by secreted antibodies, whereas the protection provided by cell-mediated immunity involves T lymphocytes alone.

  • Active and Passive Humoral Immunity

    • The humoral immune response is the aspect of immunity that is mediated by secreted antibodies.
    • There are two types of humoral immunity, active and passive humoral immunity.
    • Active humoral immunity refers to any form of immunity that occurs as a result of the formation of an adaptive immune response from the body's own immune system.
    • Active immunity is long term (sometimes life long) because memory cells with antigen-binding affinity maturation are produced during the lymphocyte differentiation and proliferation that occurs during the formation of an adaptive immune response.
    • Artificial active immunity is the result of immunization from vaccination.

  • Natural Active Immunity

    • Naturally acquired active immunity occurs when a person is exposed to a live pathogen, develops the disease, and then develops immunity.
    • Immunity is the state of protection against infectious disease conferred either through an immune response generated by immunization or previous infection, or by other non-immunological factors.
    • Naturally acquired active immunity occurs when the person is exposed to a live pathogen, develops the disease, and becomes immune as a result of the primary immune response.
    • The adaptive immune response generated against the pathogen takes days or weeks to develop but may be long-lasting, or even lifelong.
    • The principle behind immunization is to introduce an antigen, derived from a disease-causing organism, that stimulates the immune system to develop protective immunity against that organism, but which does not itself cause the pathogenic effects of that organism.