| blast/o, -blast | germ or bud |
| chrom/o, chromat/o | color |
| chyl/o | juice |
| hem/o, hemat/o | blood |
| immun/o | safe |
| lymph/o | clear fluid |
| morph/o | form |
| phag/o | eat or swallow |
| plas/o | formation |
| reticul/o | a net |
| splen/o | spleen |
| thromb/o | clot |
| thym/o | thymus gland |
| plasma | liquid portion of the blood and lymph containing water, proteins, and cellular components (leukocytes, erythrocytes, and platelets) |
| serum | liquid portion of the blood left after clotting |
| erythrocyte | red blood cell, which transports oxygen and carbon dioxide |
| hemoglobin | protein-iron compound contained in erythrocytes that transports oxygen and carbon dioxide |
| leukocyte | white blood cell, which protects the body from invading harmful substances |
| granulocytes | a group of leukocytes containing granules in their cytoplasm |
| neutrophil | a granular leukocyte, named for the neutral stain of its granules, that fights infection by swallowing bacteria |
| polymorphonuclear leukocyte | another term for neutrophil, named for the many segments present in its nucleus |
| band | an immature neutrophil |
| eosinophil | a granular leukocyte, named for the rose-colored stain of its granules, that increases in allergic and some infectious reactions |
| basophil | a granular leukocyte, named for the dark stain of its granules, that brings anticoagulant substances to inflamed tissues |
| agranulocytes | a group of leukocytes without granules in their nuclei |
| lymphocyte | an agranulocytic leukocyte active in the process of immunity; the three categories of lymphocytes are T cells (thymus dependent), B cells (bone marrow derived), and NK (natural killer) clls |
| monocyte | an agranulocytic leukocyte that performs phagocytosis to fight infection |
| platelets | thrombocytes; cell fragments in the blood essential for blood clotting (coagulation) |
| thymus | primary gland of the lympatic system, located within the mediastinum, that helps maintain the body's immune response by producing T lymphocytes |
| spleen | organ between the stomach and diaphragm that filters out aging blood cells, removes cellular debris by performing phagocytosis, and provides an environment for lymphocytes to initiate immune responses |
| lymph | fluid circulated through the lymph vessels |
| lymph capillaries | microscopic vessels that draw lymph from tissues to the lymph vessels |
| lymph vessels | vessels that receive lymph from the lymph capillaries and circulate it to the lymph nodes |
| lacteals | specialized lymph vessels in the small intestine that absorb fat into the bloodstream |
| chyle | white or pale yellow substance in lymph that contains fatty substances absorbed by the lacteals |
| lymph nodes | several small, oval structures that filter lymph from the lymph vessels; major locations include the cervical, axillary, and inguinal regions |
| lymph ducts | collecting channels that carry lymph from the lymph nodes to the veins |
| right lymphatic duct | receives lymph from the right upper part of the body |
| thoracic duct | receives lymph from the left side of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, left arm, and lower extremities |
| immunity | process of disease protection induced by exposure to an antigen |
| antigen | a substance that, when introduced into the body, causes formation of antibodies against it |
| antibody | a substance produced by the body that destroys or inactivates an antigen that has entered the body |
| active immunity | an immunity that protects the body against a future infection, as the result of antibodies that develop naturally in response to an infection or artifically after administration of a vaccine |
| passive immunity | an immunity resulting from antibodies that are conveyed naturally through the placenta to a fetus or artificially by injection of a serum containing antibodies |
| anisocytosis | presence of red blood cells of unequal size |
| pancytopenia | an abnormally reduced number of all cellular components in the blood |
| erythropenia | an abnormally reduced number of red blood cells |
| hemolysis | breakdown of the red blood cell membrane |
| immunocompromised | impaired immunologic defenses caused by an immunodeficiency disorder or therapy with immunosuppressive agents |
| immunosuppression | impaired ability to provide an immune response |
| lymphadenopathy | enlarged (diseased) lymph nodes |
| lymphocytopenia | an abnormally reduced number of lymphocytes |
| macrocytosis | presence of large red blood cells |
| microcytosis | presence of small red blood cells |
| neutropenia | decrease in the number of neutrophils |
| poikilocytosis | presence of large, irregularly shaped red blood cells |
| reticulocytosis | increased number of immature erythrocytes in th blood |
| splenomegaly | enlargement of the spleen |
| AIDS | a syndrome caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that renders immune cells ineffective, permitting opportunistic infections, malignancies, and neurologic diseases to develop; transmitted sexually or through contaminated blood |
| anemia | a condition of reduced numbers of red blood cells, hemoglobin, or packed red cells in the blood, resulting in a diminished ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen to the tissues |
| iron deficiency anemia | a microcytic-hypochromic type of anemia characterized by a lack of iron, affecting production of hemoglobin and small red blood cells containing low amounts of hemoglobin |
| pernicious anemia | a marcocytic normaochromic type of anemia characterized by an inadequate supply of vitamin B12, causing red blood cells to become large, varied in shape, and reduced in number |
| aplastic anemia | a normcytic-normchromic type of anemia characterized by the failure of bone marrow to produce red blood cells |