The Immune System

Recall cards on how animals defend against pathogens: the innate immune response (physical and chemical barriers, PAMPs and pattern recognition receptors including Toll-like receptors, phagocytes such as macrophages and neutrophils, cytokines, interferons and inflammation, natural killer cells and MHC I recognition, and the complement cascade); the adaptive immune response (cell-mediated versus humoral immunity, antigen-presenting cells and MHC processing, helper and cytotoxic T cells, T cell receptors, B cells and clonal selection, immune tolerance, immunological memory and vaccination, mucosal immunity, and the lymphatic organs); antibodies (their four-chain structure and gene recombination, the five immunoglobulin classes, neutralization, opsonization and complement fixation, affinity and avidity, cross reactivity, and radioimmunoassay); and disruptions of immunity (immunodeficiency, immediate and delayed hypersensitivity and allergy, autoimmunity, and pathogen evasion strategies).