Lymphoid organs and spleen function, including asplenia
Structure and function of the thymus, lymph nodes, MALT and spleen, why loss of splenic function predisposes to overwhelming infection with encapsulated bacteria, the blood film of hyposplenism, and current Australian vaccine and antibiotic prevention.
Tier 2Medical sciences concept
Written with AI assistance and fact-checked against the sources below. For exam study, not clinical decisions. How notes are made
At a glance
- Primary lymphoid organs (bone marrow, thymus) make lymphocytes and select them. Secondary lymphoid organs (lymph nodes, spleen, MALT) are where antigen meets naive lymphocytes.
- The old term "reticuloendothelial system" now usually means the mononuclear phagocyte system: monocytes, Kupffer cells, splenic and alveolar macrophages, microglia.
- The spleen filters blood. Lymph nodes filter lymph. MALT samples mucosal surfaces.
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Sources
- Australian Immunisation Handbook: Vaccination for people who are immunocompromised (asplenia and hyposplenia)AU/NZAustralian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), updated 2026
- Australian Immunisation Handbook: Pneumococcal disease and Meningococcal diseaseAU/NZAustralian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI), updated 2026
- Antibiotics for people without a functioning spleenAU/NZSpleen Australia, accessed November 2026
- Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (10th ed.)Elsevier (Kumar, Abbas and Aster), 2020
- Janeway's Immunobiology (10th ed.)W. W. Norton (Murphy and Weaver), 2022
- Last updated
- 14 November 2026
What changed
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