2020–2021 BCSC Basic and Clinical Science Course™
9 Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation
Chapter 1: Basic Concepts in Immunology: Effector Cells and the Innate Immune Response
Definitions
An immune response is a sequence of molecular and cellular events intended to rid the host of a threat: offending pathogenic organisms, toxic substances, cellular debris, or neoplastic cells. There are 2 broad categories of immune responses, innate and adaptive.
Innate immune responses, or natural immunity, require no prior contact with or “education” about the stimulus against which they are directed. Adaptive (or acquired) responses are higher-order, more specific responses directed against unique antigens. Chapter 2 discusses these responses in detail. This chapter introduces the crucial cells of the immune system and their functions in innate immunity.
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Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S. Basic Immunology: Functions and Disorders of the Immune System. 5th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders; 2016.
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Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S. Cellular and Molecular Immunology. 9th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier/Saunders; 2018.
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Murphy KM. Janeway’s Immunobiology. 8th ed. London: Garland Science; 2012.
Excerpted from BCSC 2020-2021 series: Section 9 - Uveitis and Ocular Inflammation. For more information and to purchase the entire series, please visit https://www.aao.org/bcsc.