BIOS 255 Week 4 Case Study Assignment: Natural Killer Cell Deficiency – Graded An A+

BIOS 255 Week 4 Case Study Assignment: Natural Killer Cell Deficiency – Graded An A+ Required Resources Read/review the following resources for this activity: • Textbook • Weekly Concepts • Minimum of 1 scholarly source Scenario/Summary Shanice was a vibrant 16-year-old who was enjoying her high school years. As a good student, she loved attending school and woke every morning eager to start the day. A popular girl, she was surrounded by many friends who all enjoyed each other's company. From an early age, Shanice had been susceptible to recurrent viral and bacterial infections. No matter what she tried, she tended to have numerous infections every year which put a damper on some of her social activities. Recently, she had been experiencing recurrent lung infections, spending a week in the hospital with pneumonia and recurrent herpes viral infections. Concerned over these recurrent infections, Shanice was sent to an immunologist for further consultation. Tests were performed to evaluate the number and activities of her B-cells, T-cells, and natural killer cells. Results showed that Shanice had low numbers and decreased activity of her natural killer cells. Keep in mind that natural killer cells are part of the innate immune response. Deliverables Answer the following questions and save your responses in a Microsoft Word document. Provide a scholarly resource to support your answers. 1. Why are natural killer cells considered to be part of the innate immune response? Because they lack antigen specific cell surface receptors. 2. What types of cells do natural killer cells act against? 3. Describe the process whereby natural killer cells kill other cells and the role of macrophages in the process. senescent cells, virally infected cells, and detecting early signs of cancer. 4. The Immunologist cautioned Shanice that she may be more susceptible to virally induced cancers. Why did the Immunologist state this? The immunologist stated this because Shanice has a history of viral herpes and other viral infections, and she could get any of the following cancers caused by a viral infection: HPV causing Cervical cancer, hepatitis C can lead to liver cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, EBV causing Burkitt lymphoma, Hepatitis B virus causing liver cancer also and more. This is because having a reduced amount of NK cells reduces the ability to detect cancer cells and defend the body against viruses. 5. What treatments or other options does Shanice have to counteract the natural killer cell deficiency? She can use medication for immune system, like those that treat autoimmune conditions. Another option is IV immunoglobulins, that assist with fighting viral infections. Sometimes patients are put on prophylactic drugs to prevent serious infections. Depending how severe she is, she could also get a hematopoietic stem cell transplant (Orange, Jordan S., MD, PhD, 2013). References Orange, Jordan S., MD, PhD. (2013). Natural killer cell deficiency. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 132(3), 515-525. https://10.1016/.2013.07.020