Immunity Game
Rocky11
1619870848744_1619870847445_TheImmuneSystemGame.docxThe immune system card game
The universal target of biological education is bioliteracy. However, there are several degrees of bioliteracy, each of which represents a particular degree of material mastery. While students who are nominally literate may be literate, severe misunderstandings may occur. Functionally literate students may have memorized the terminology and procedure, but they are unable to describe it in their terms. Literate students, on the other hand, have a quantitative understanding of biological processes, and how these processes are carried out (Work et al., 2015). Many students are interested in topics like the immune system, but since they are complex—many cells with different roles are stimulated at different times during the immune response process—structural comprehension and self-efficacy make it difficult for many students. This is a summary of a game that simulates the human immune response to bacteria and viruses in a simplified manner. Since the immune system is rarely discussed in introductory biology classes, this is a game that students can play in or out of class. During the first and second exposures, the game simulates a simplified immune response to viral and bacterial infections. Students should be familiar with the concepts of innate and adaptive immune responses before playing the game, but the game will show them the basic composition and function of each immune response, focusing on only the main cells. In addition to highlighting the resemblance of the immune response to viruses and bacteria in the simulation. The game can also be used as a method for conducting pre-examination tests on the lecture materials. Students can play the game alone or in groups of two or three, and they should be able to complete all four simulations in under an hour. Some students may destroy pathogens before their immune systems are fully functioning, while others may find that their immune systems are quickly overloaded (dead or requiring medical attention), requiring them to restart the game or get these results. It can be used to demonstrate how the immune system reacts to pathogens at various levels, with most students eliciting a powerful and natural immune response that ultimately overwhelms the pathogen.
The components of each kit (Work et al., 2015)
· The playing cards have various colored cards printed on them (plus some other excesses)
· Coin
· Paper clips (used to store unit Connected to carry bag)
· Tote bag (paper bag with body outline)
· Snack-sized Ziploc bags for different styles of playing cards
· Gallon Ziploc bags for each pack
Bacterial Infection
Fill your body bag with the bacteria starter kit. The handbag currently contains four types of cards: (1) three pathogens, (2) macrophages, (3) B cells, and (4) helper T cells. The immune cells and infectious agents that circulate and battle in your body are represented by the body bag, and the card is the immune cells and infectious agents that circulate and fight in your body.
1. Take a card from the body bag. If you pull out a bacterial pathogen, place it on the table, and add another (replicated) to your body bag. If you remove the helper T cell or B cell, put the card back in the body bag; otherwise, please reposition it. These cells cannot recognize or fight pathogens without first being presented with the antigen by macrophages. Pulled out another from the body bag
2. Flip a coin if you drew macrophages and there are pathogens on the table. If you have heads, the macrophages will locate and swallow the pathogen (cover the pathogen with a macrophage card, then add two macrophages to the body bag to represent the macrophage's movement to the lymph node and the macrophages there). The macrophages will not see the pathogen if you find a tail and will return to the body bag.
3. If the pathogen is engulfed by the macrophage, the pathogen's antigen would be presented to the immune system. TH cells would be drawn to the antigen (add two TH cards to the body bag to indicate an increase in the density of these cells near the infection)
4. Continue drawing until you get a TH card, which you can use to reflect TH cell maturation on the macrophage-pathogen stack.
5. Primary infection: TH cells that have been activated will cause B cells (add two B cells to the body bag to simulate the cell proliferation that occurs during activation). Continue drawing until you've had all of the B cells (place them on the TH cell stack to indicate that TH cells activate naive B cells). (Go to stage 6 now.)
Or
Secondary infection: After TH cells bind to macrophages, memory B cells that were stuck in your body's pocket during the initial infection will be activated. Memory B cells proliferate and develop antibodies almost instantly. (Continue to phase 7.)
6. Your immune system requires 14 days (14 draws from the body bag, during which time it will continue to obey the rules that regulate pathogen and macrophage behavior; steps 1 and 2) to generate antibodies and memory B cells once the B cells have been triggered (be sure to attach the B cells to the body bag for use during secondary infections).
7. Place antibodies on each pathogen that has been exposed on your table. Any pathogens that are removed from the bags after the antibodies have been generated will bind to the antibodies and will be unable to replicate (the antibodies can interfere with the basic functions of the pathogen, such as reproduction).
8. Continue to remove macrophages from the bag until all pathogens have been killed (remember, once the pathogen binds to the antibody, the macrophage will always find the antibody-tagged pathogen - no need to flip a coin).
9. Count and report the pathogens to white blood cells (WBC) ratio in the bag after eating the pathogens at the table.
10. Return the card to the bag. Run the secondary infection after you've finished modeling the primary infection.
11. What is the difference between primary and secondary infections in terms of pathogen: white blood cell ratio?
Professors: Since B cell activation and antibody development take two weeks (14 extractions), students should find that pathogens are more likely to overpower the immune system during the initial infection (pathogens increase, decrease). WBC pathogens can be overwhelmed by the rapid response of side reactions (decrease in pathogens and increase in WBC)
12. What exactly is the relation between the innate and adaptive immune systems?
Professors: When phagocytes present antigens to the lymph nodes' dormant adaptive immune system, the innate immune system activates the adaptive immune system.
Reference(s)
Work, K. A., Gibbs, M. A., & Friedman, E. J. (2015). The Immune System Game. The American Biology Teacher, 77(5), 382–390. https://doi.org/10.1525/abt.2015.77.5.11
