How Does our Body Fight
Diseases?
The Immune System!
What Diseases?
The Bad Guys!
Viruses
• Very tiny
• Like a tootsie pop:
Chocolate on inside is
genetic material
Viruses Cont.
• Take over cells, make
copies of themselves,
and kill the cell
Examples: Flu, HIV,
chickenpox
Bacteria
•
•
•
•
Smaller than our cells
Many are good
Many cause disease
Like a Fruit (orange or
banana)
– Have a hard peel/cell
wall
Bacteria
• Examples: chlamydia,
gonorrhea, E. coli
Okay, now the Immune System
The Good
Guys!
Macrophages
• “Big Eaters”
• Gobble up Bacteria
and Viruses
Heart of Immune System
• Macrophages break up bad guys into little
pieces and display to the Helper T-Cell.
• Helper T-Cells direct the immune system
traffic using chemical messages.
• Helper T-Cells are the Heart of the
immune system
Helper TCell
Cells that Rely on Helper T-cells
• B-cells: produce
proteins called
Antibodies
• Antibodies: missiles
that target foreign
material
• Once an antibody
binds a germ, it
neutralizes it and
attracts other immune
system cells like . . .
Killers
Killer T-cells
Killer T-cells get signals from
Helper T-cells to find germs
labeled with Antibodies. Killer Tcells will “Stab” the target cell so it
breaks, killing the germs.
Killer T-Cells
Killer Cell
Target Cell
Killer Cell
attacking
Target Cell
How does it all work together?
• Suppose you are a nose cell that catches
a flu virus?
• What immune system will
combat this?
• The Killer T-cell, but only after the Helper
T-cell told it to come there.
How does it work?
• Suppose a pneumonia bacteria came into
our lungs!
• A Macrophage would be waiting to eat it
The Helper T Cell
and show pieces to _____________?
• Then, the B cells come in with
Antibodies
___________
to help destroy it.
What happens with HIV?
• HIV is a virus that attacks the immune
system.
• HIV attacks Helper T cells which can
cause Killer T-cells to attack Helper T-cells
infected with HIV.
• This leads to Immune system CIVIL WAR
HIV continued
• Since your Immune system is at WAR with
itself, Bacteria and Viruses can sneak in
and make themselves cozy.
• Viruses can take over your body and the
immune system is powerless because of
the HIV
Research
• Many doctors, educators, and professors
have been trying to come up with at cure
to stop the threat.
• Your Job: To create a concept map
illustrating the immune system. On the
back, create a poster showing what HIV
does to your immune system.
Your Assignment
To create a concept map illustrating the
immune system. On the back,
create a poster showing what HIV does to
your immune system.