Immune System Quiz

The skin is the first line of defense in preventing penetration by infectious agents. However, the skin can be bypassed. Which of the following scenarios allows an infectious agent to enter the body without damaging the skin?

• A pathogen is transferred from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or birth.

• A girl gets a staph infection when she falls and scrapes her knee.

• A person is infected with malaria when a mosquito bite punctures his skin.

• A boy is infected with rabies when a dog bites his leg.

The purpose of the immune system is to identify and eliminate foreign substances within the body. In which of the following cases is an immune response not beneficial? Choose 2

• allergic reaction

• bacterial infection

• organ transplant

• viral infection

Antigens are cellular parts that are able to bind to antibodies. Antigens are usually made out of proteins or polysaccharides, so they include parts like the coats, capsules, or cell walls of pathogens (disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms). Antibodies are proteins that are produced by the immune system to prevent the growth and spread of pathogens. Antibodies bind to antigens, like keys fitting into specific locks. Which of the following diagrams best represents an antigen-antibody complex?

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Which body system is primarily responsible for protecting against foreign substances and disease-causing organisms?

• excretory system

• immune system

• nervous system

• endocrine system

Vaccines contain microbes (or parts of them) that can normally cause disease. These microbes are weakened so that, instead of causing disease, they help prepare the body to fight against future invasions by the same types of microbes. How do vaccines prepare the body to fight these future invasions?

• They mutate within the body and kill off other invaders.

• They stimulate the immune system to create antibodies.

• They cause the excretory system to release all viruses as waste.

• They grow stronger in the body and multiply.

Which of the following statements regarding nonspecific immune responses is correct?

• Nonspecific immune responses involve the use of B and T lymphocytes.

• The influenza vaccine provides immunity by triggering nonspecific immune responses.

• A nonspecific immune response is the body's first line of defense against invaders.

• all of these

Which of the following is an example of a nonspecific immune response?

• A T lymphocyte attacks and destroys a cancer cell.

• The receptors of a B lymphocyte bind to an antigen.

• A plasma cell releases antibodies.

• A macrophage engulfs invading bacteria.

Influenza, or the flu, is an infectious disease that affects mammals and birds. The flu cannot be treated with antibiotics because

• it is caused by a virus, not a bacterium.

• it is caused by a highly resistant strain of bacteria.

• it is caused by a fungus, not a bacterium.

• it is caused by two unique strains of bacteria.

Organisms most often develop diseases when

• they produce offspring.

• they establish a habitat.

• they are unable to maintain homeostasis.

• they receive vaccines and antibiotics.

Vaccines are considered crucial in the fight against disease worldwide. What is the main function of vaccines?

• Vaccines break down the cell membranes of bacteria, which allows immune system cells to enter and destroy the bacterial DNA.

• Vaccines treat individuals who are already have an infection so that infections do not harm entire populations.

• Vaccines imitate an infection so that when the body is exposed to the real infection, the specific immune response can happen more quickly.

• Vaccines block the site where a virus would attach to a particular cell, preventing the virus from entering the cell and reproducing.