Memory, immunological

Briles DE, Kunz-Schughart LA, Talke Y, Mack M Basophils enhance immunological memory res- 36 ponses. Nat Immunol 2008 9 733-742. 

The ideal of any vaccine is to provide life-long protection to the individual against disease. Immunological memory (Chapter 14) depends upon the survival of cloned populations of small B and T lymphocytes (memory cells). These small lymphocytes have a lifespan in the body of ca. 15-20 years. Thus, if the immune system is not boosted, either by natural exposure to the organism or by re-immunization, then immunity gained in childhood will be attenuated or lost completely by the age of 30. Those vaccines which provide only poor protection against disease have proportionately reduced time-spans of effectiveness. Yellow fever vaccination, which is highly effective, must therefore be repeated at 10-year intervals, whilst typhoid vaccines are only effective for 1-3 years. Whether or not immunization in childhood is boosted at adolescence or in adult life depends on the relative risks associated with the infection as a function of age. 

Studies have consistently identified the immune system as a target for JP-8. Due to variability in routes of exposure and chemical composition, it is likely that there are a number of pathways contributing to the development of immunotoxicity, including the generation of free radicals, release of platelet-activating factor, interference with immunological memory, or the alteration of neuropeptides and cytokines. With further... 

Arkoosh, M.R. et al., Suppression of immunological memory in juvenile chinook salmon, Oncorhynchus tshawytscha, from an urban estuary, Fish Shellfish Immunol., 1, 261, 1991. 

H3. Helbert, M. R., Lage-Stehr, J., and Mitchison, N. A., Antigen presentation, loss of immunological memory and AIDS. Immunol. Today 14, 340-344 (1993). 

Fig. 1. Interrelationships of tissue cells with cells, where T cells translate the immunological memory into tissue. 

Hypersensitivity can be classified as antibody-mediated or cell-mediated. Three types of hypersensitivity are antibody-mediated (types I—III), while the fourth is cell-mediated (type IV). Hypersensitivity occurs in two phases the sensitization phase and the effector phase. Sensitization occurs upon initial encounter with an antigen the effector phase involves immunologic memory and results in tissue pathology upon a subsequent encounter with that antigen. 

Another basic characteristic of immune responses is the development of immunologic memory.38-40 This is exemplified by the fact that vaccination can sometimes impart immunity for a person s lifetime. If a foreign protein is injected into an animal, after a lag period of 2-5 days the animal will synthesize antibodies against this foreign antigen. This is called a primary adaptive immune response. If after a few days or weeks a second injection of the same protein is made, a much more rapid synthesis of additional antibodies occurs. This secondary immune response may take place within hours and will last longer than... 

One of the most important features of the immune system is that, once an animal has encountered a particular pathogen, the system confers protection against future infection. This immunological memory means that if the same pathogen or antigen is encountered a second time, perhaps even decades after... 

Atanackovic, D., Altorki, N.K., Cao, Y., Ritter, E., Ferrara, C.A., Ritter, G., Hoffman, E.W., Bokemeyer, C., Old, L.J., Gnjatic, S. Booster vaccination of cancer patients with MAGE-A3 protein reveals long-term immunological memory or tolerance depending on priming. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 105 (2008) 1650-1655. 

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