BIOL 2420 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Costume Jewelry, Toxicodendron Radicans, Allergen

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Unit 4 Lecture 9
Specific Antigens Trigger Allergic Responses
- Allergy: an inflammatory immune response to a nonpathogenic antigen
- Allergen: an antigen that is typically not harmful to the body
o if an individual is sensitive to the antigen, the body produces an inappropriate
immune response as if the allergen was a more serious pathogen
o an overactive immune response given the otherwise harmless allergen
- sensitivity or hypersensitivity
o the term used to describe the immune response to an antigen in allergies
- immediate hypersensitivity reactions
o mediated by antibodies
o occur within minutes of exposure to antigens (allergens)
- delayed hypersensitivity reactions
o mediated by helper T cells and macrophages
o may take several days to develop
o includes contact allergies
copper and other base metals
common among people who wear costume jewelry
poison ivy and poison oak
- allergens
o can be practically any exogenous molecule that triggers an immediate
hypersensitivity reaction
naturally occurring or synthetic
organic or inorganic
foods, insect venoms, pollen
o can be inhaled, injected, ingested, or simply just making contact with the skin
- allergies have strong genetic component
o if a parent have an allergy then there is a high change of their children also having
these allergies
o development of allergies requires exposure to the allergen
exposure is a factor that can be determined by geographical, cultural, and
social conditions
- type of allergic response
o depends on the antigen antibody, immune cell involved, and location of antigen
introduction
o allergen binding to IgE is the most common response to inhaled, ingested, or
injected allergens
when an allergen binds to IgE antibodies on mast cells, the cells
degranulate, releasing histamine and other cytokines
the result is an inflammatory reaction
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