Write a article about an immune system gone wild (either through allergies, autoimmune disease). Describe what the white blood cells and antibodies are doing too.
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Introduction to allergy and the immune system
AllergyThe immune system, which can be further divided into innate or adaptive sections, is the body’s key mechanism of defence against infection, but also the system responsible for pathological allergic reactions to harmless substances. Because the immune system can easily damage cells it is important to limit the response to just those things which are harmful to the body, and prevent the immune system attacking harmless substances as in allergic reactions.
Both the innate and adaptive immune systems play a role in allergy, which occurs as a result of sensitisation to harmless substances in the environmental (e.g. dust and pollen), and hypersensitive reactions upon subsequent exposure to these particles. The innate (also called non-specific) immune system acts in response to all foreign particles entering the body and involves:
Epithelial barriers (skin and mucous membranes which line the bodies cavities including the nose, mouth and bowel);
Body encasements such as the scull and thoracic cage which protect the internal organs from exposure to pathogens;
Inflammatory responses involving proteins produced by body cells which mount an attack on pathogens which enter the body.
The adaptive (also called humoral or specific) immune system is typically only involved in immune responses to bacteria, bacterial toxins and virus antigens. It involves the production of antibodies (also called immunoglobulins) against a specific target. The target of an antibody is called an antigen. The antibodies circulate in the blood and react with their specific antigens, for example an antibody produced to mount an attack on the bacteria salmonella, will only attack salmonella and not other types of bacteria.
For the most part, the immune system protects the body from bacteria and foreign particles and are well controlled and directed against harmful pathogens. The immune response usually results in the pathogen being cleared from the body and subsequent resolution of the inflammatory processes which are involved in the immune reaction. However, in some individuals the innate immune system responds abnormally and mounts a response to particles in the environment which would not normally stimulate a response. This abnormal immune response causes allergy.
Innate immune responses and allergy
The innate immune system regulates the body’s initial response to pathogen exposure and is responsible for catalysing the sensitisation process which leads to allergic reactions. This is a non-specific response which involves recognition of molecules entering the body that are shared by a group of pathogens. The immune system recognises these molecules because they are not found in the cells of the human body. This type of immune reaction is distinct from the reactions which occur in recognition of specific pathogens such as salmonella.
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Network analysis simply says that if two or more variables are very close together in a web of variables, then they most likely work together to bring about a certain trait or response. In terms of physiology, proximity in a web would suggest that variables contribute to the same regulatory pathway.