THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND IGA DEFICIENCY - IGA’S FUNCTION IN THE BODY Immunoglobulin A, or IgA, is an antibody which is produced in mucosal linings and plays an important part in mucosal immunity. In the mucosal linings, more IgA is produced than all other types of antibodies combined. The amount of produced IgA contributes greatly to the total immunoglobulin production and around three to five grams of IgA are secreted into the intestinal lumen every day. IgA is divided into two subclasses, IgA 1 and IgA 2 and can also exist in a dimeric form called secretory IgA, sIgA. IgA1 is the predominant subclass which is found in serum. Most lymphoid tissues have a predominance of cells which produce IgA. The share of IgA2 production is larger in secretory lymphoid tissues than in the non-secretory lymphoid organs (spleen, peripheral lymph nodes, etc.). In IgA2, the heavy and light chains are linked with non-covalent bonds instead of with disulphide. The secretory form of IgA, sIgA, is the main immunoglobulin found in mucous secretions such as colostrum and secretions from the genitourinary tract, gastrointestinal tract, prostate and respiratory epithelium, tears and saliva (which is important when testing IgA levels for IgA deficiency which will be discussed later in this paper) and also in small amounts of blood. The secretory component of sIgA protects the immunoglobulin from being degraded by certain enzymes and makes sIgA able to survive in the harsh environment of the gastrointestinal tract and thereby provide protection against microbes which multiply in body secretions. Secretory IgA can also inhibit inflammatory effects of other immunoglobulins (National library of medicine, 2011). As stated above, IgA plays a critical... ... middle of paper ... ...Patient and Family Handbook for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases - Selective IgA deficiency. 5th ed. Maryland, USA. Izenberg, Neil MD. 2011. Kids health, Immune system. [ONLINE] Available at: http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.html#. [Accessed 04 March 14]. Jeffry Modell Foundation, Primary immunodeficiency resource center. 2013. Primary immunodeficiency diseases - Selective IgA deficiency. [ONLINE] Available at: http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/immune.html#. [Accessed 02 March 14]. National Library of Medicine - Medical Subject Headings. 2011. Immunoglobulin A. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/cgi/mesh/2011/MB_cgi?mode=&term=Immunoglobulin+A. [Accessed 24 April 14]. Worldbook. 2014. Fibroblast search. [ONLINE] Available at: http://worldbookonline.com/advanced/dict?lu=fibroblast. [Accessed 26 April 14].
X-linked Agammaglobulinemia, or XLA for short, was the first immunodeficiency disease ever to be discovered. Ogden C. Bruton, the man who discovered it, was studying an eight-year-old boy in 1952 who had very confusing symptoms. He studied the boy for almost four years and was still confused by the randomness of his symptoms. The boy was getting many infections in these four years and Bruton could not figure out why until he decided to investigate the boy’s blood. He found that the boy was not producing the correct antibodies to fight off infection. After further research, Bruton was able to relate the symptoms back to the child’s genes. Long after Bruton had passed, the disease was studied in depth and found to be an X-linked genetic disorder effecting the antibody production in males. It was then named X-linked Agammaglobulinemia or, in memory of Ogden Bruton, Bruton’s X-linked Agammaglobulinemia.
“Cells Involved In Immune Responses and Antigen Recognition.” Microbiology and Immunology. Web. 18 Dec. 2011. .
..., MIKOŁUĆ, B., PIETRUCHA, B., & WOLSKA-KUŚNIERZ, B. (2013). Clinical and immunological analysis of patients with X-linked agammaglobulinemia: single center experience. Central European Journal of Immunology, 38(3), 367-370.
1. EQ: How does the structure and function of my immune system keep me healthy?
The immune system, which is composed of cells, proteins, tissues, and organs, is the body’s innate defense against foreign particles that may show to be harmful or infectious to us. Through a series of steps called the immune response, the immune system attacks potentially dangerous organisms and substances that invade our systems. (Durani, Y., 2012) The immune system’s key players include leukocytes, the lymphoid organs, and the lymphatic vessels. Leukocytes are white blood cells that recognize and destroy the harmful invaders. Lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, bone marrow, thymus, and spleen) make and/or store the leukocytes, and lymphatic vessels are a network of tissues that allow for the leukocytes to circulate through blood or the various lymphoid organs. (Durani, Y., 2012)
Masur H, H. L. (2007). Treatment of human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. In A. D. Goldman L, Cecil Medicine (p. Chap 412). Philadelphia, PA: Saunders Elsevier.
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It was not until Regina started kindergarten that she started showing symptoms characteristic of celiac disease. She was showing great fatigue and when taken to the doctor was found to have iron-deficient anemia. When further blood tests were taken, the doctors found the iron-deficient anemia to be part of a larger problem and, after more tests, formally diagnosed her with celiac disease. T...
Caga-anan, Carlisse F. "Testing Children for Adult-Onset Genetic Diseases." Testing Children for Adult-Onset Genetic Diseases. The American Academy of Pediatrics, 5 Dec. 2011. Web. 01 Feb. 2014. .
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This immunity is dependent upon our body to be exposed to a particular type of pathogen once before. After the exposure, our body’s immune system learns of a way to counteract the foreign substance. The immune system learns the most effective way to counter each antigen that enters and then retains that strategy until the same pathogen attacks on it again. It completely customizes its attack, adapts to new conditions and remembers the information. This why people are given shots of inactivated viruses. When these viruses enter the blood stream, the body thinks that they are harmful pathogens and then develops a way of counteracting to them. After battling these viruses, they remember their form of attack, so in case these same harmful viruses enter the blood stream again, they can deal with them quickly and efficiently. Lymphocytes (T and B cells are required for this immunity). The antibodies IgA are expressed in our body on the mucous surface of the gut. When foreign substances enter, the intestine, they kill those pathogens before they can even grow in the
A child’s immune system does not fully develop until about five years old (McMillan, Jane Sheppard) yet, children are bombarded with multiple vaccines such as five doses of DTap
...d the absence of IgE binding from patients allergic to protein from the source as well as histamine release from basophiles is required to be carried out.
Stine, Gerald James. AIDS Update 2012: An Annual Overview of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.