IB Biology C3.2 Definitions
This page contains our IB Biology definitions for C3.2. By learning each one of these definitions, you will fully cover the content for IB Biology 'Defence against infectious disease'.
agglutination
The destruction method involving sticking pathogens together to make phagocytosis easier
AIDS
A disease characterized by a low white blood cell count caused by HIV
allergy
A systemic reaction to a normally harmless substance, caused by basophil and mast cell oversecretion of histamine
antibiotic
A chemical produced by microorganisms that kills or controls the growth of bacteria by blocking prokaryotic cell processes and not eukaryotic ones
antigen
Surface molecules expressed on any organism or virus
bacteria and virus neutralization
The destruction method involving binding to bacteria and viruses to prevent them from binding to cells
complement activation
The destruction method involving binding to pathogens to allow complement proteins to attack the pathogen by lysis
coronary thrombosis
The occlusion of an artery by blood clots caused by the rupture of a plaque
fibrillation
The uncoordinated contraction of cardiac muscle
HIV
A infection that is notoriously difficult to treat beause it infects lymphocytes involved in antibody production and can destroy them over time, preventing antibody production
hybridoma cell
A cell that was formed from the fusion of a myeloma and memory cell
long term immunity
The ability of memory cells to produce antibodies at a higher rate and quantity when an antigen is encountered again
macrophage
A white blood cell involved in the non-specific immune response that ingests pathogens via phagocytosis and presents its antigen to a specific T-helper cell
memory cell
A B cell clone that stays in the body after plasma cells have degraded and provide long term immunity
monoclonal antibodies
Identical antibodies produced by hybridoma cells
myeloma cell
A type of tumor cell
neutralization
The destruction method involving binding to toxins produced by pathogens to minimize their effect
non-specific immunity
An immune response lead by phagocytes that consumes any pathogen that enters the body
opsonization
The destruction method involving binding to pathogens and labelling them for phagocytes
pathogen
An organism or virus that causes a disease
phagocytosis
The endocytosis of pathogens by phagocytes
plasma cell
A B cell clone with a large rough endoplasmic reticulum to produce antibodies against the presented antigen
platelets
Small cell fragments that circulate in the blood and involved in clotting
specific immunity
An immune response lead by lymphocytes that produces antibodies to specific pathogens that enters the body
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