OSMT (Ontario Society of Medical Technologists) Practice Exam

When the body fails to "recognize self" it is indicative of:

1. a. immunocompetence

2. b. immunoglobulins

3. c. autoimmune disease

4. d. agglutination

The correct answer is: c. autoimmune disease

The indication that the body fails to "recognize self" is indeed characteristic of autoimmune disease. In autoimmune diseases, the immune system mistakenly identifies components of the body as foreign invaders, leading to an immune response that attacks its own tissues. This failure of self-recognition is central to the pathophysiology of various autoimmune conditions, where normal immune tolerance is disrupted and results in inflammation and tissue damage. Other options present related concepts but do not specifically address the failure of self-recognition. Immunocompetence refers to the ability of the immune system to respond effectively to pathogens, while immunoglobulins are antibodies that play a role in immune responses but are not directly related to the issue of self-recognition. Agglutination is a process where particles clump together, often used in laboratory tests, but does not pertain to the immune system's recognition of self versus non-self. Thus, the correct association with the phenomenon described in the question is with autoimmune diseases.