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Peter Parker pants as he finally reaches Avengers Tower. He had promised to study with you but he got caught up in stopping a robbery. As he enters the tower he is met with a stoic Tony Stark “You’re late kid.” Peter scratches the back of his neck “I know Mr. Stark! I swear i didn’t mean to-“. Tony cuts him off “It’s alright kid, I’m sure my daughter will forgive you.” Peter nods and rushes to your room. You let out a sigh of relief when you see him “There you are! I was getting worried.” Peter nods “Yeah I’m really sorry. There was a robbery and I- I’m sorry.” He pulls out crumpled flowers out his backpack and you snort. You take them from him and put them on your desk “Thanks?” Peter mutters “They got a little messed up when i swung over here…”. You sigh “It’s fine let’s just study.” You open up your book “Okay… functions of the lymphatic system is to maintain fluid balance in tissues, Immune defense, Special lymphatic vessels called lacteals in small intestine absorb dietary lipids that are not absorbed by the blood capillaries.” Peter nods writing down what you said, “Red bone marrow is the primary site for production of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. White blood cells are involved in the immune response.” You nod and continue reading, “Main organ of lymphatic system. Located in upper chest. Promotes production of T-lymphocytes. Helps control cancerous cells. Helps control fluid balance. Filters out blood. Produces and stores lymphocytes for immune response. Found in pharynx. Made of lymphatic tissue. First line of defense in immune response. Most pathogens enter through nose and mouth. Trap pathogens that enter. Different types have different functions. Pathogens are any disease causing agent. Can include bacteria, viruses, prions, and parasites. Filter lymph, Lymph is clear fluid that comes from blood plasma. This fluid become interstitial fluid in between cells that picks up pathogens and other waste products as it moves. House lymphocytes. Assist immune system response.”
Peter is busy making a diagram while you move to the next section, “The body’s defense against infectious organisms and other invaders. Immune response is a series of steps that causes this system to attack the invaders. Phagocytes, Cells that “eat” invading organisms. Lymphocytes, Cells that allow the body to remember and recognize previous invaders. Phagocytes; Most common type; Neutrophils, Primarily fight bacteria. Doctor will run blood test to look at number of neutrophils if worried about infection. B lymphocytes, Also called “B cells” Made in bone marrow; where “b” comes from. T Lymphocytes; Also called “T cells” B cells that have traveled to thymus and matured “t” comes from thymus. Innate Immune System; Non-specific is Guard against all infection. Adaptive Immunity is Specific, Has specific reactions based on pathogen. Skin is first line of defense. Inflammatory response; Pathogen stimulates increase in blood flow to the infected area. Blood vessels dilate and leukocytes leak from lymphatic vessels to invade infected tissues. These leukocytes are phagocytes which engulf and destroy bacteria. Adaptive/Specific Immune Response; Cells that belong in the body carry specific markers that identify them and tells the immune system not to attack them. Once the immune system recognizes a pathogen as not belonging, it uses cells and chemicals to attack it. After a new encounter, the adaptive system “remembers” the pathogen, allowing for a faster response the next time. Specific Immune Response; Triggered by antigens found on surface of pathogen and are unique to that type. Immune system responds by producing antibodies, proteins that attach to an antigen and attract cells that will engulf and destroy the pathogen. These cells come from the lymphatic system. Specific Immune System- Humoral Immunity; Relies on antibodies circulating through the body. Begins when antibody on a B cell binds to antigen. B cell internalizes the antigen and presents it to a special T cell. Helper T which activates the B cell Activated B cells grow quickly, producing plasma cells, which release more antibodies into the blood stream, and memory B cells that store information about the pathogen for future infections.”
You turn the page to the last section of notes, “The history of immunization dates back hundreds of years. Buddhist monks drank snake venom to develop immunity to snake bites. Variolation, the practice of smearing a skin tear with cowpox to develop immunity to smallpox was practiced in 17th century China. Edward Jenner is considered the founder of vaccinology in the Western world. In 1796 he inoculated a 13 year old boy with cowpox and demonstrated an immunity to smallpox. In 1798 the first smallpox vaccine was developed. Louis Pasteur developed a vaccine for rabies in 1886, helped develop a live attenuated cholera vaccine in 1897 and an inactivated anthrax vaccine in humans in 1904. The vaccine types are Attenuated, Inactivated/Killed, Toxoid, Subunit/Conjugate, mRNA, Viral vector. Live-Attenuated vaccines
use a weakened (or attenuated) form of the pathogen. Because they’re so similar to the natural infection, they create a strong immune response. Just 1 or 2 doses of live vaccines can give you a lifetime of immunity. People with weakened immune systems might need to be wary of live-attenuated vaccines.They don’t travel well and need to be refrigerated. Examples: smallpox, chickenpox, rotavirus. Inactivated vaccines;
These vaccines use the killed version of the pathogen. Don’t provide immunity as strong as live vaccines. These vaccines generally require a booster. Examples: Flu, Polio, rabies. Toxoid vaccines use a toxin made by the pathogen. Create immunity to the toxin, not the pathogen itself. May need boosters. Examples: diphtheria, tetanus. Subunit/Conjugate vaccines also called recombinant or polysaccharide vaccines. Uses specific pieces inside pathogen, like protein, sugar, or capsid which is the casing of vaccines. Give strong immunity to specific parts of pathogen.Can be used on almost anyone with weakened immune systems. May need booster shots. Examples: shingles, whooping cough, HPV, Hepatitis B. mRNA vaccines have been in production for decades, make proteins to trigger an immune response. Short manufacturing times. Absolutely no risk of causing disease in the person being vaccinated Examples: COVID-19, Zika, HIV, There’s a new mRNA rabies vaccine too. Viral Vector vaccines Been in production for decades, Use a modified version of a different virus as a vector. Adenovirus, influenza, and measles have been effectively used as vectors. Examples: COVID-19, Ebola, Zika, Flu.
You close the book with a sigh and Peter looks at you with a smile. You put the book on your desk and say “Thanks for studying with me even though you were late… and the crushed flowers.” Peter chuckles “Uh you’re welcome.” You look at the time on your phone a groan and when you see a text from your dad telling you to come to training “Well training awaits i guess…” Peter nods and follows behind you to the training room with the other Avengers.