Maintenance of the Body
Unit 3: The Lymphatic System, Resistance & Immunity
Unit outline
Part 1: Blood Cell Lineages: Leukocytes
- Characteristics of Leukocytes
- Classification of Leukocytes
Part 2: The Lymphatic and Immune Systems
- Anatomy
- Primary Lymphoid Organs and Lymphocyte Development
- The Organization of Immune Function
- Barrier Defenses and the Innate Immune Response
- The Adaptive Immune Response
- The Cellular Basis of Immunological Memory
- Active versus Passive Immunity
- Diseases Associated with Depressed or Overactive Immune Responses
Part 3: Blood Typing
- Antigens, Antibodies, and Transfusion Reactions
- The ABO and Rh Blood Groups
- Determining Blood Types
Learning Objectives
At the end of this unit, you should be able to:
I. Specify the types of leukocytes, their functions, origins and relative quantities in normal blood.
II. Describe the purpose of a differential count and how to interpret the results.
III. Describe the major functions and anatomical organization of the lymphatic system.
IV. Distinguish between the cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system.
V. Explain nonspecific (innate) resistance to disease and specify the general components of nonspecific (innate) resistance.
VI. Explain specific (adaptive) resistance to disease (immunity), and distinguish between T-cell mediated (cellular) immunity and B-cell mediated (humoral) immunity.
VII. Specify the ways in which antibodies destroy or inactivate a foreign substance in the body.
VIII. Discuss the relationship between antibodies and immunization and specify four ways of conferring immunity.
IX. Describe conditions that may result due to a compromised immune system.
X. Describe the basis of the ABO blood groups and Rh factor and explain the significance of this to transfusions and hemolytic disease of the newborn.
Learning Objectives and Guiding Questions
At the end of this unit, you should be able to complete all the following tasks, including answering the guiding questions associated with each task.
I. Specify the types of leukocytes, their functions, origins and relative quantities in normal blood.
- List all the types of leukocytes, along with their relative frequencies (most common, least common, etc.).
- List and describe in detail the function(s) of the five types of leukocytes. Be as specific and detailed as possible, i.e. include every subtype of leukocyte in your answer!
II. Describe the purpose of a differential count and how to interpret the results.
- What is a differential count? What information can it provide?
- Why are neutrophils found in high numbers in people recovering from burn injuries?
- What could be consequences of an abnormally low neutrophil count?
- How does one of the functions of eosinophils explain their high counts in individuals fighting a parasitic worm infestation?
- What would the basophil count be in people experiencing allergies? Explain why.
- Why is a low lymphocyte count observed in individuals with an active HIV infe