Brief history of immunology

Brief history of immunology

1. Brief History of Immunology Discovery of Vaccines & Understanding the Mechanisms of Immunity Dr. Dhanya KC Assistant Professor, Department of Microbiology St. Mary’s College, Thrissur-20, Kerala

2. Immunology The Latin term immunis - mean “exempt” State of protection from infectious disease Immune system Diversity, specificity, memory, and self/nonself recognition Effector response - eliminate or neutralize invader Memory response - rapid & enhanced during subsequent encounter www.imperial.ac.uk

3. In 430 BC Thucydides, the great historian of the Peloponnesian War college.columbia.edu Described a plague in Athens Who recovered from plague could nurse the sick because they would not contract the disease a second time

4. In fifteenth century - Chinese and Turks Dried crusts from smallpox pustules - inhaled through nostrils or inserted into small cuts in skin - to prevent deadly and fatal Smallpox - Variolation labroots.com nlm.nih.gov

5. In 1718 Lady Mary Wortley Montagu Performed variolation on her own children In 1798 Edward Jenner Improved variolation Observation on milkmaids – developed cowpox disease - immune to smallpox Fluid from a cowpox pustule - protect from smallpox Inoculated a boy with cowpox pustule fluid - Later infected the child with smallpox - did not develop smallpox hekint.org

6. Technique to protect against smallpox - Spread quickly in Europe Edward Jenner - Honored as father of immunology But, not applied to other diseases for nearly 100 years - lack of knowledge and disease targets Serendipity & astute observation - next advance in immunology

7. Louis Pasteur Grew bacterium - for fowl cholera Chickens injected - developed cholera Cultures left in incubation for long period - attenuated bacteria Chickens became ill –recovered - injection of fresh culture - did not develop disease Pasteur hypothesized & proved Aging weakened virulence of pathogen Administering attenuated strain - protection against disease Named as vaccine - from the Latin word ‘ vacca ’ means “cow” In honor of Jenner’s technique of cowpox inoculation

8. Pasteur - attenuated other disease pathogens Bacillus anthracis - causative agent of anthrax Attenuation techniques to prepare anthrax vaccine By treating cultures with potassium bichromate By incubating the bacteria at 42 to 43°C In 1881, vaccinated sheep against Anthrax Rabies vaccine Attenuated by growing in abnormal host, rabbit In 1885, vaccinated a young boy, Joseph Meister I njected 13 times over 10 days with attenuated virus He survived

9. Works by Pasteur - Marked beginnings of immunology Contributions from all over world, Pasteur Institute constructed Initial task of the Institute - vaccine production

10. Robert Koch - Bacillus anthracis and anthrax in 1876 cnx.org Koch’s postulates

11. In 1890 Emil von Behring and Shibasaburo Kitasato jnnp.bmj.com slideplayer.com Tetanus antitoxin Insights into the mechanism of immunity

12. Next decade Active component from the serum of immune animals Neutralize toxins -antitoxin Precipitate toxins -precipitin Agglutinate bacteria -agglutinin Elvin Kabat Gamma-globulin present in serum The immunoglobulin fraction – antibodies   Present in body fluids or humors - humoral immunity 

13. In 1883 - Elie Metchnikoff : Father of natural immunity White blood cells – phagocytes Phagocytosis The concept - cell-mediated immunity Further studies Humoral immunity - Using blood and biochemical techniques Immune cells – lagged behind –modern tissue culture techniques

14.  In 1940s, Merrill Chase T ransferred immunity against - WBC from immune guinea pigs In 1950s - lymphocyte - cellular and humoral immunity

15. Bruce Glick Using chickens - two types of lymphocytes T lymphocytes - thymus - cellular immunity B lymphocytes - bursa of Fabricius - humoral immunity bethyl.com Jules Bordet Immune reactivity to nonpathogenic substances, such as RBC from different species

16. Karl Landsteiner Injecting an animal with any organic chemical Induce antibody - bind specifically to the chemical Human ABO blood group system Identified A, B, AB, and O groups famousscientists.org Other blood factors - M , N, P and Rhesus system Helped blood transfusions carried out safely

17. Karl Landsteiner Causative agent - poliomyelitis W orked for polio vaccine Worked to identify pathogen for syphilis Studied haptens - Small variations in structure - changes in antibody production  quora.com

18. Antibodies - unlimited range of reactivity E ven to compounds never before existed in nature High Specificity - structurally almost similar molecules -recognized as different Early theories to explain specificity of Antigen-Antibody interaction Selective theory Instructional theory

19. Selective theory - by Paul Ehrlich in 1900 Cells in blood expressed receptors - “side-chain receptors” React and bind with infectious agents – like a lock and key Induce cell to produce and release more similar receptors Specificity of Receptor – Predetermined Antigen select the appropriate Receptor

20. 1930s and 1940s, instructional theories B y Friedrich Breinl and Felix Haurowitz A particular antigen - template Antibody would fold around template - assume complementary configuration Disproved in 1960s

21. S elective theories - resurface In 1950s Refined by Niels Jerne, David Talmadge, F. Macfarlane Burnet The clonal selection theory Lymphocyte - membrane receptors - specific for antigen - even before antigen exposure Binding of antigen to specific receptor - activates cell Cell proliferate - clone of cells - same immunologic specificity

22. The clonal selection theory -underlying paradigm of modern immunology HSC Immature lymphocytes with Ag receptors Those that bind to self Ag - destroyed R est mature to inactive lymphocytes Encounter foreign antigen- activated Produce many clones of themselves

23. Thank You…. Brief History of Immunology