- acquired immunity
- (also: adaptive or specific immunity) immunity that develops after birth
- apoptosis
- normal, controlled process of cell death
- autoimmunity
- disordered state in which the immune system mistakenly targets and attacks the body’s own healthy tissues, organs, and cells
- cilium
- (plural: cilia) hairlike structure that removes invaders from the respiratory tract
- genetic engineering
- emerging field that uses recombinant deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) technology to enable the replacement of defective or missing genes
- immunity
- body’s specific, protective response to a foreign agent or organism
- immunocompetent
- state of having an efficient immune system that is able to carry out functions properly
- immunocompromised
- state of not having a properly working immune system
- immunodeficiency
- result of the malfunctioning of an underactive or weakened immune system
- immunosenescence
- gradual deterioration of the immune system due to natural aging processes
- interferon
- protein that signals the substances involved in defense against viruses
- interleukin
- protein that serves as the messenger substance of the immune system
- multipotent
- stem cells that can become the cell type they came from
- natural immunity
- (also: innate or nonspecific immunity) immunity that is present at birth
- natural killer cell
- white blood cell in the innate immune system
- neoplasm
- tumor that may be benign or malignant
- phagocytosis
- engulfing and destroying of foreign bodies by monocytes
- pluripotent
- description of stem cells that can become any other kind of cell
- primary immunodeficiency
- immunodeficiency that is genetic and typically hereditary and present at birth
- psychoneuroimmunology
- study of how the immune system and central nervous system interact
- secondary immunodeficiency
- immunodeficiency that generally develops later in life, caused by another disorder or the use of various medications
- stem cell
- cell in the earliest stage of development, before it has become specialized