| A | B |
|---|
| allergen | any substance that can cause an allergy |
| anaphylaxis | hypersensitivity reaction to the ingestion or injection of a substance (a protein or drug) resulting from prior contact with a substance |
| antibiotic | a substance used to kill microorganisms and cure infections |
| antibody | a protein that produces an immune response |
| antifungal | any agent that destroys or prevents the growth of fungi |
| antigen | any substance that stimulates an immune response in the body |
| autoimmune disorder | any of a large group of diseases characterized by abnormal functioning of the immune system that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against your own tissues |
| bacillus | aerobic rod-shaped spore-producing bacterium |
| bacteria | single-celled organisms that can cause disease |
| benign | kind in disposition or manner |
| candidiasis | an infection caused by fungi of the genus Monilia or Candida |
| carcinoma | any malignant tumor derived from epithelial tissue |
| carcinoma in situ | a cluster of malignant cells that has not yet invaded the deeper epithelial tissue or spread to other parts of the body |
| metastasize | spread throughout the body |
| myoma | a benign tumor composed of muscle tissue |
| myosarcoma | sarcoma of muscle tissue |
| cytokine | any of various protein molecules secreted by cells of the immune system that serve to regulate the immune system |
| cytomegalovirus | any of a group of herpes viruses that enlarge epithelial cells and can cause birth defects; can affect humans with impaired immunological systems |
| cytotoxic drug | any drug that has a toxic effect on cells |
| toxoplasmosis | infection caused by parasites transmitted to humans from infected cats; if contracted by a pregnant woman it can result in serious damage to the fetus |
| varicella | acute viral disease that causes skin eruptions and fever |
| immunosuppressant | a drug that lowers the body's normal immune response |
| immunotherapy | therapy designed to produce immunity to a disease or to enhance resistance by the immune system |
| infectious mononucleosis | an acute disease characterized by fever and swollen lymph nodes and an abnormal increase of mononuclear leucocytes or monocytes in the bloodstream; not highly contagious; some believe it can be transmitted by kissing |
| interferon | an antiviral protein produced by cells that have been invaded by a virus; inhibits replication of the virus |
| lymphadenopathy | chronic abnormal enlargement of the lymph nodes |
| lymphangioma | benign angioma consisting of a mass of lymphatic vessels |
| lymphedema | swelling (usually in the legs) caused by lymph accumulating in the tissues in the affected areas |
| lymphocyte | an agranulocytic leukocyte that normally makes up a quarter of the white blood cell count but increases in the presence of infection |
| lymphoma | a neoplasm of lymph tissue that is usually malignant |
| macrophage | a large phagocyte |
| malaria | a disease caused by parasites transmitted by mosquito bite |
| malignant | dangerous to health |
| mammography | a diagnostic procedure to detect breast tumors by the use of X rays |
| metastasis | the spreading of a disease to another part of the body |
| opportunistic infection | any infection caused by a microorganism that does not normally cause disease in humans; occurs in persons with abnormally functioning immune systems (as AIDS patients or transplant patients receiving immunosuppressive drugs) |
| osteosarcoma | malignant bone tumor |
| parasite | an animal or plant that lives in or on a host |
| rabies | an acute viral disease transmitted by animal bites |
| rickettsia | any of a group of very small rod-shaped bacteria that live in biting arthropods (as ticks and mites) and cause disease in vertebrate hosts; they cause typhus and other febrile diseases in human beings |
| rubella | a contagious viral disease that is a milder form of measles lasting three or four days; can be damaging to a fetus during the first trimester |
| sarcoma | a usually malignant tumor arising from connective tissue |
| spirochete | parasitic or free-living bacteria |
| splenomegaly | an abnormal enlargement of the spleen |
| staphylococci | spherical Gram-positive parasitic bacteria that tend to form irregular colonies; some cause boils or septicemia or infections |
| streptococci | spherical Gram-positive bacteria occurring in pairs or chains; cause e.g. scarlet fever and tonsillitis |
| hemolytic | relating to or involving or causing hemolysis |
| herpes zoster | a herpes virus that causes shingles |
| human immunodeficiency virus | the virus that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome |
| immunoglobulin | a class of proteins produced in lymph tissue in vertebrates and that function as antibodies in the immune response |
