Allergies

Question 1

worm hypothesis (3)

• adaptive or nonadaptive
• hypothesis
• supported?

Answer 1

• allergies are not adaptive
• primary function of allergic response may be anti-parasitic and allergies are undesirable reactions towards otherwise inoffensive environmental substances
• more supported

Question 2

anti-toxin hypothesis (3)

• adaptive or nonadaptive
• hypothesis
• supported?

Answer 2

• allergies are adaptive
• IgE system have evolved partly as a backup defence against toxins
• not as supported

Question 3

what is IgE for

Answer 3

• IgE is involved in the response to parasitic worms

Question 4

hygiene hypothesis

Answer 4

• too few germs and parasites may cause immune system to respond inappropriately to harmless substances

Question 5

hygiene hypothesis: supporting evidence (2)

Answer 5

• allergies less common in developing world, among children that grow up on farms, or have greater number of elder siblings
• no greater incidence of allergies in more polluted cities

Question 6

old friends hypothesis

Answer 6

• hygiene hypothesis is less about cleanliness and more about changed lifestyle
• risk of developing allergies/autoimmune disorders may be due to lack of certain organisms that have trained our immune system to be tolerant over the course of evolution

Question 7

immune disorders and infectious diseases

Answer 7

• increase in immune disorders correlates with decrease in infectious disease

Question 8

role of worms (3)

Answer 8

• immune response associated with allergies is a mechanism to eliminate worms from our system
• worms respond by producing substances that down regulate this repsonse
• in absence of worms, we develop allergies