A patient tells the nurse that he's happy that his wife did not "catch" the same cold from which he has recently recovered. The nurse realizes that which of the following most likely occurred in his wife?

Question

1. T-helper 2 memory of a previous exposure to the same virus that caused the patient's illness
2. T-helper 1 stimulation to kill unidentified cells
3. Proliferation of CD 8 cells
4. Release of cytokines

Answer 1

T-helper 2 memory of a previous exposure to the same virus that caused the patient's illness

Rationale: T-helper 2 cells stimulate B cells to make antibodies to specific antigens. These cells then have a "memory" of exposure that will lead to a quick response if another exposure occurs. In the case of the patient with his wife, the wife must have had a previous exposure to the same virus that caused the patient's cold and because of the "memory," the body immediately responded by eliminating the cold virus. T-helper 1 cells help upregulate immune activity and produce chemicals to destroy mutant cells. CD 8 cells slow or stop the immune response. Cytokines are chemical messages produced by cells to either increase the flow of white blood cells to a body area or coat an antigen to encourage phagocytosis.