What is the immune system?
The immune system is a network of hard-working cells and proteins that protect the body from infections. When an outside microbe enters the body the immune system defeats the microbe before it causes damage to the body. The system keeps a record of every microbe it defeats so if a microbe enters the body again the system will recognize and defeat it.
Some organs of the immune system include:
- Complement system
- Lymphatic system
- Spleen
- Bone marrow
-Thymus
-Appendix
-Peyer’s patch
-Tonsils and Adenoids
-Mucus Membrane
What are the parts of the immune system?
The immune system is complex and consists of two main immune responses: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system.
The Innate Immune System:
The innate immune system is a system most people are born with. It is the first line of defense people use to remove harmful bacteria from their bodies. Essentially it protects your body from all antigens. Innate immunity has barriers that keep harmful bacteria from entering your body. Some examples of innate immunity are cough reflex, enzymes in tears, mucus (traps bacteria and small particles), skin, and stomach acid.
The Adaptive Immune Response:
This system develops when the body interacts with microbes and/or chemicals released in microbes. The adaptive immune system saves us from certain death by infection and is the second line of defense against non-self pathogens presented. This defense system can provide long-lasting protection, sometimes for the person’s entire lifetime. The defense system remembers the microbe that enters the body; if it enters again, the system will fight it using the same strategies it used to defeat it the last time.
Glossary:
Antigen: a toxin or a foreign substance that induces an immune response in the body, especially the production of antibodies
Bacteria: microscopic single-celled organisms
Microbe: living things found under a microscope
Non-self pathogens: bacteria, viruses, parasites, pollen dust, and chemicals
References:
The Adaptive Immune System - Molecular Biology of the Cell. (n.d.). NCBI. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK21070/
Helping and Hurting Our Immune Systems. (n.d.). National Geographic Society. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://www.nationalgeographic.org/activity/helping-hurting-our-immune-systems/
Immune response. (2020, February 2). MedlinePlus. Retrieved May 9, 2022, from https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000821.htm
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