Classification of immunity

Immunity

innate
Acquired

Innate immunity(non specific resistance)

Immunity which may be genetically passed on from one generation from other
generation
This mechanism works in a similar way in all kinds of infections
Types-
 species immunity
 Racial immunity
 Individual immunity
species immunity: some species are immune to some infections but some are not. It
may be because of physiological and biochemical differences between the tissue of
host specious.
Eg: Poliomyelitis, measles, syphilis, leprosy, gonorrhea, occurs only in man

Racial immunity- Different races show differences in susceptibility to infection

Eg: Negroes are resistance to yellow fever and malaria, and high resistance of
Algerian sheep to anthrax
It is genetic in origin principally induced by persistent environmental stimulus

Individual immunity: Individual in population shows variation in their response to

microbial infection.
Eg: Homozygous twins exhibits similar degree of resistance or susceptibility to
lepromatous leprosy and tuberculosis .

Factors influencing innate immunity:

1. Age:-
Age also play an importance role in immunity. Various diseases mostly occurs in
particular age.
Eg: gonococcal infection- Prepubertal girls
Poliomyelitis and chicken pox- Adults than children
Rubella Infection – Fetus severely affected
Old people are highly susceptible to infection
2. hormonal influences:- Endocrine disorders can induce infection
Eg: Diabetes mellitus (increased carbohydrate levels in tissue) is related to
susceptibility to infection.
Corticosteroids depress hosts resistance by anti-inflammatory antiphagocytic effect
and by suppression of antibody formation and hypersensitivity.
3. Nutrition – defective nutrition depress all types of immune response and thus
increasing the risk of infection

Mechanism of innate immunity

Epithelial surfaces: the intact skin and mucous membrane covering the body and
protect against the invasion of microorganisms.
They provide bactericidal secretions
Eg: Presence of lactic acid, saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in sweat and
sebaceous secretion, saliva is bactericidal, High acidity in stomach inhibit bacterial
growth
Tissue Defenses : Tissue factors divided in to two
 Humoral
 Cellular factors
Humoral:
1. lysozyme- It is a bacteriocidal enzyme. Eg: It is found in nasal and intestinal
secretions, seminal fluids, lacrimal secretions
2. properdin- It constitute 0.02 % of serum protein and it causes lysis of gram
negative bacteria with the help of Mg++
3. Betalysin: It is liberated from platelets during clotting and active against
anthrax bacillus
4. basic polypeptides : Active at PH (7-8) and causes bacterial cell wall
disintegration.
5. C- reactive proteins : It doesn’t play an important role in the resolution of
inflammatory process. Mainly appears in blood of a person with tissue
necrosis and inflammation. C- reactive protein act as a binding mechanism and
metabolic breakdown in bacterial cell.
6. Bactericidin: It is non specific serum factor, active against Neisseria,
Streptococcal, hemolyticus etc.
7. Complement: Thermolabile substance present in serum kills gram negative
bacteria by phagocitosis
8. Non specific hyaluronidase inhibitors : It is a heat labile and required Mg ions
for its activity
Neutralize toxin or cellular products
Have direct bacteriocidal effect
Block the infective ability of microorganisms
Opsonize microorganisms (kills by phagocytosis
9. Acute phase proteins : some proteins in plasma are collectively named acute
Phase proteins , they helps in phagocytosis, prevent tissue injury and promote
Repair of inflammatory lesion
Eg: C reactive proteins
Alpha- 1 acid glycoproteins

Cellular proteins:
A. Phagocytosis: engulfment and digestion of bacteria and other foreign particles
by phagocytosis. It consists of four phases
 first phase: Approach of the phagocyte to the microbe by means of positive
chemotaxis.(movement of a cell in response to the stimulus of gradient of
chemical concentration)
 second phase: Absorption of the micro-organism on the surface of the
phagocyte
 third phase : submergence of the microbe in to the cytoplasm of the phagocyte.
 fourth phase : Intracellular digestion of the engulfed microbes by the
phagocytes. Eg: phagocytes – a) microphages ( eg. Polymorpho nuclear
leucocytes). b) Macrophages ( eg: histiocytes, fixed reticuloendothelial cells,
monocytes
B. Inflammation: It is the immediate defensive reaction of tissue to any injury
caused by infection. Blood vessels near the site of injury are dilated so that
blood flow is locally increased. White blood cells enter the tissue and begin to
engulf bacteria and other foreign particles.
C. Fever: It is a natural defense mechanism. It may actually destroy the infecting
organism. Fever stimulates the production of interferon and helps in recovery
from virus infection. The substances which may cause fever are endotoxins
and interleukin-1. Endotoxin- A poison released by bacterium when it broken
down or it dies. Interleukin-I – The substance produced by leucocytes, Its
production is initiated by antigens, toxins, and inflammatory activity.

Acquired Immunity