KS4 Biology: Defence Against Disease

KS4 Biology
Defence Against
Disease
1 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Contents
Defence Against Disease
Defence against microbes
Transmission
Attacking microbes
Why do humans fall ill?
Summary quiz
How does the body defend itself from disease?
Imagine a country is invaded. If the army is

to defend that country, the best way is to
surround the enemy and keep it in one
place.
You can then concentrate all your efforts in

one place and your army is more powerful.
If the invading army quickly spreads, they

can attack more places at once and your
defence is thinned.

How do you stop an invading army from spreading out?
You stop it from reaching the transport networks.

If we consider the human body, the infection will

spread around the body if it reaches our transport system.
the blood stream
The body’s defence systems are trying to prevent

microbes access to the blood.
If they get into the blood, they can travel to every part of
the entire body!

How do microbes enter the body?
eyes
ears
mouth
nose
skin
cuts
genitals
A number of these places where microbes can enter

the body are defended.

Mouth
If microbes enter through the mouth (usually on food) they

will be swallowed and enter the stomach.
Within the stomach is hydrochloric acid, which is highly

concentrated and will kill them.

Nose
Cells lining the trachea and bronchi have hair like folds in
their membrane. These are known as cilia and the cells are
termed ciliated. These cells also produce mucus, a sticky
liquid in which microbes can become stuck. The cilia then
waft the mucus (including the trapped microbes) towards the
mouth and nose where they are either swallowed or
coughed up.

Skin
thick layer of skin
blood capillary
Microbes have to penetrate the layer of skin that covers

the entire surface of our body. Once through this, they can
then reach the blood system.

Cuts
When you cut the skin, the body will bleed because the
blood vessels are ruptured. This leaves the blood system
exposed to the air. Microbes could then get into the blood.
To limit this problem, the body can

quickly heal wounds by firstly clotting
the blood and secondly forming a
scab over the wound to shield the
blood from the air.

Once the scab has formed, the body repairs the damaged tissue
underneath and finally fresh skin tissue is formed.
If the cut is very deep, a scar will remain after the cut has healed.
cut
exposed
blood vessel
microbes cannot
scab has gain entry
formed over
new
the wound
tissue
being
formed

???

Different defence mechanisms

Contents
Transmission
Attacking microbes
Summary quiz
Spreading microbes
One easy way to defend the body against illness is by
keeping it clean and hygienic.
This is because microbes can spread very quickly in

unhygienic conditions.
The spreading of microbes is known as transmission.

Methods of transmission
Transmission can occur in the following ways:
Droplet transmission
If an infected person sneezes or coughs, millions of

microbes are released into the air.
These microbes could then infect somebody else.

Transmission in water
Microbes can feed off the pollution within water.
If water is not cleaned, the microbes can reproduce and

enter the body when the water is drunk.

Transmission by vectors
A vector is an animal that carries the microbe from one

place to another.
Vectors can range from houseflies to pets. It is important
to be careful about the amount of contact you have with
vectors.

Transmission by contact
Many microbes can be exchanged from one
person to another within bodily fluids e.g.
blood and semen.
This is how many microbes responsible for
sexually transmitted diseases are spread
from person to person.
The less hygienic people are, the greater the
chance of infection. Microbes will also
reproduce rapidly in unhygienic conditions.
This is the main reason why public places
such as restaurants have to abide by strict
hygiene regulations.

Transmission of microbes

Contents
Transmission
Attacking microbes
Summary quiz
White blood cells
If viruses and bacteria do get into the body, it is

extremely likely that they will enter the blood stream.
If this happens, the previous defence systems are

useless and so the body brings in its next line of
defence…

Methods of attacking microbes
As we saw when we covered the blood system, white blood

cells are found in blood. They have a nucleus, which can
vary in shape from one sort of white blood cell to the next.
They have 3 main methods of attacking microbes.
1. Producing antitoxins
Remember that microbes can cause an infected person to

feel ill by releasing toxins (poisons). The first way white
blood cells defend the body is by releasing antitoxins. These
chemicals are designed to neutralise the effects of the toxins
and render them harmless.

white
bacterium blood cell
antitoxins
toxins
Antitoxin links to the toxin and neutralises its effect.

The toxin is now harmless. This happens on a large scale
and reduces the effects of the infection.

2. Ingesting Microbes
Some white blood cells actually ingest (eat) the microbes
and then break them down once they are inside the cell.
The microbe is destroyed by powerful digestive enzymes,
which are released within the cytoplasm of the white blood
cell.
white microbe
blood cell
The white blood cell

surrounds the microbe.

Digestive enzymes attack

the ingested microbe and
begin to break it down.
The microbe is destroyed.

The chemicals that are
released from the digested
microbe are used in other
parts of the cell.

3. Releasing antibodies
As well as releasing
antitoxins, the white
blood cell can
release another
chemical known as an
antibody. Antibodies - you can
think of them as target
specific bombs.
Their shape is important

because it fits exactly onto
a site on the microbe.

The antibody will only work if it is connected to this

specially shaped site. This design means that the
antibody does not harm normal body cells because
they do not carry the attachment site.
These are the areas where

the antibody will attach.

The antibody attaches to the specific site on the
microbe, which leads to its destruction.
attachment site antibody microbe
microbe is
destroyed

Engulfing microbes - what’s the order?

Engulfing microbes - what happens?

Matching microbes and antibodies

Contents
Transmission
Attacking microbes
Summary quiz
If white blood cells can produce antibodies against

microbes, why do humans fall ill at all?
Well, there are 3 problems…

1) The first is that different microbes require different
antibodies. This is due to the attachment sites on the
microbes being different shapes.
A microbe with these attachment sites …
will not be effected by
these antibodies.
The body must be able to produce a range of antibodies

against an enormous number of different microbes.
If it can’t produce the right antibody, the infected organism
will become ill.

2) Microbes are constantly changing and becoming

resistant to old antibodies.
The microbe has the ability to change its shape and

therefore the body may not recognise them. If this
happens, the microbe will release toxins until it is
recognised and an attack can be mounted.

3) When an organism becomes infected, it takes a

certain amount of time to mount an effective defensive
response.

Antibodies and antitoxins
The microbes will start

At first, the microbe
reproducing willAs
rapidly.
enter
theythedo,
body
theyand release
produce
toxins.
more toxins. The white
blood cell number is
low because the body microbe toxins white antibody/
microbe toxins white antibody/
number blood antitoxin
was caught off guard. number blood
cells
antitoxin
cells
This is the point where the levels of toxin in the body will
cause the infected organism to feel ill.
There are not enough antibodies /antitoxins to overpower
the microbes.

Slowly
The bodythe starts
number of white
replicating
blood cells
its white increases
blood to such
cells and in
adoing
level so,
thatstarts
the concentration
making
of antibodies/antitoxins
large amounts of is
high enough to overpower
antibodies/antitoxins.
the microbes. microbe toxins white antibody/
microbe
number toxins white
blood antibody/
antitoxin
The illness is at its peak number blood
cells antitoxin
The
and person
there isbegins
a battletoraging
feel cells
better.
in the body.

Not only does the body fight off the disease; it also readies
itself for another infection from the same disease by
storing high levels of that specific antibody/antitoxin.
In other words, if that specific microbe infects the same
organism, there is no need to spend time replicating the
specific white blood cells in order to make the relevant
antibody. They are already made and so they attack the
microbe immediately.
This process of preparation for re-infection is known as

gaining natural immunity.
This why humans tend to only suffer from certain

diseases once in their lifetimes.

Constant attack
Those diseases that keep re-infecting and causing

illness are usually caused by microbes that keep
changing their structures.
The body does not recognise the altered form of the

microbe and its ready-made antibodies are useless.
Once again we see how remarkable the human body is.

Countless microbes are constantly bombarding it:
microscopic disease causing organisms with the ability to
hide, fight, replicate and adapt.
All this happens without any conscious effort on our parts!

Disease defence - what’s the order?

Contents
Transmission
Attacking microbes
Summary quiz
Defence against disease quiz

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KS4 Biology

1 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Defence Against Disease

Defence against microbes

Why do humans fall ill?

Imagine a country is invaded. If the army is

You can then concentrate all your efforts in

If the invading army quickly spreads, they

3 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

How do you stop an invading army from spreading out?

You stop it from reaching the transport networks.

4 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

If we consider the human body, the infection will

the blood stream

The body’s defence systems are trying to prevent

5 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

A number of these places where microbes can enter

6 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

If microbes enter through the mouth (usually on food) they

Within the stomach is hydrochloric acid, which is highly

7 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

8 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Microbes have to penetrate the layer of skin that covers

9 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

To limit this problem, the body can

10 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

11 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

12 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

13 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Defence Against Disease

Defence against microbes

Why do humans fall ill?

This is because microbes can spread very quickly in

The spreading of microbes is known as transmission.

15 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Transmission can occur in the following ways:

If an infected person sneezes or coughs, millions of

These microbes could then infect somebody else.

16 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Microbes can feed off the pollution within water.

If water is not cleaned, the microbes can reproduce and

17 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

A vector is an animal that carries the microbe from one

18 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

19 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

20 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Defence Against Disease

Defence against microbes

Why do humans fall ill?

If viruses and bacteria do get into the body, it is

If this happens, the previous defence systems are

22 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

As we saw when we covered the blood system, white blood

They have 3 main methods of attacking microbes.

Remember that microbes can cause an infected person to

23 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Antitoxin links to the toxin and neutralises its effect.

24 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

The white blood cell

25 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004

Digestive enzymes attack

The microbe is destroyed.

26 of 44 © Boardworks Ltd 2004