Ch. 16 - Innate Immunity: Nonspecific Defenses of the Host

Tortora - Microbiology: An Introduction 14th Edition

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Tortora 14th Edition

Ch. 16 - Innate Immunity: Nonspecific Defenses of the Host

Problem 6

Chapter 16, Problem 6

Why does hemolysis of red blood cells occur when a person receives a transfusion of the wrong type of blood?

Verified step by step guidance

Understand that red blood cells (RBCs) have specific surface antigens (such as A and B antigens) that determine blood type.

Recognize that the recipient's immune system produces antibodies against foreign antigens not present on their own RBCs (for example, anti-A antibodies if the person is type B).

When the wrong blood type is transfused, the recipient's antibodies bind to the donor RBC antigens, forming antigen-antibody complexes.

This binding activates the complement system, a part of the immune response that leads to the formation of membrane attack complexes on the donor RBCs.

The membrane attack complexes cause the donor RBCs to rupture or lyse, a process called hemolysis, which can lead to serious complications.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Blood Group Antigens and Compatibility

Blood group antigens are specific molecules present on the surface of red blood cells that determine blood type (e.g., A, B, AB, O). Compatibility between donor and recipient blood types is crucial because mismatched antigens trigger immune responses. If incompatible blood is transfused, the recipient's immune system recognizes foreign antigens as threats.

Immune Response and Antibody-Mediated Hemolysis

When incompatible blood is transfused, the recipient's antibodies bind to the foreign red blood cell antigens, activating the immune system. This leads to the destruction (hemolysis) of the donor red blood cells through complement activation or phagocytosis, causing potentially severe transfusion reactions.

Consequences of Hemolysis in Transfusion Reactions

Hemolysis releases hemoglobin and other cell contents into the bloodstream, which can cause complications like kidney damage, anemia, and shock. Understanding these consequences highlights the importance of proper blood typing and crossmatching before transfusions to prevent life-threatening reactions.

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Textbook Question

A human host can prevent a pathogen from getting enough iron by all of the following except

a. reducing dietary intake of iron.

b. binding iron with transferrin.

c. binding iron with hemoglobin.

d. binding iron with ferritin.

e. binding iron with siderophores.

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Textbook Question

Patients with X-linked chronic granulomatous disease are susceptible to infections because their neutrophils don’t generate an oxidative burst. What is the relation of the oxidative burst to infection?

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Textbook Question

Label on the figure the following processes that result in phagocytosis: margination, diapedesis, adherence, and phagolysosome formation.

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Textbook Question

Give several examples of how microbes evade the complement system.

Textbook Question

In 1884, Elie Metchnikoff observed cells collected around a splinter inserted in a sea star embryo. This was the discovery of

a. blood cells.

b. sea stars.

c. phagocytosis.

d. immunity.