HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus which can eventually lead to development of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). However, it is not the virus itself which causes AIDS symptoms; HIV weakens the immune system, meaning other infections can take hold more easily. In this article we will look at HIV structure, replication, and development of... Continue Reading →
Barriers to Infection – Immunity Ep 5
In order for a pathogen to enter the body and cause a disease, it must pass through the body's non-specific defences. The barriers to infection are non-specific because they respond to all pathogens in the same way. Infection routes There are four main routes with a pathogen can take to enter the body: The digestive... Continue Reading →
Antibodies – Immunity Ep 4
Antibodies are very important proteins in the immune response. We've already mentioned them a lot in the last few articles but today we will take a detailed look at their structure and function, and how they can be used in medical applications. Antibody structure Antibodies are proteins with a quaternary structure. They have two longer... Continue Reading →
Vaccines and Antigenic Variation – Immunity Ep 3
Vaccines are a key way to protect both individuals, communities, and whole populations from diseases. Of course, at the time of writing, this is a very topical subject due to the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine. In this article we will be looking at how vaccines work to induce immunity, and how pathogens can... Continue Reading →
Developing Immunity – Immunity Ep 2
In the last article we looked at how the immune system responds to a pathogen which is encountered for the first time. This is the primary response. However, if the same pathogen enters the body again in the future, the immune system is able to deal with it more quickly because it is prepared. In... Continue Reading →
The Immune Response – Immunity Ep 1
Sometimes the body comes under attack from pathogens (microorganisms that can cause disease). If pathogens get into our body, it is down to our immune system to spring into action and destroy them. In this article we will be looking at how foreign antigens trigger our immune response, and how that results in the pathogens... Continue Reading →
