What Is the Immune System?

A computer-generated image of the rotavirus, a virus that commonly causes illness in children through inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Credit: Bridget Carragher, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California. What do antibodies, mucus, and stomach acid have in common? They’re all parts of the immune system! The immune system is a trained army of cells, tissues, and organs that work together to block, detect, and eliminate harmful insults to your body. It can protect you from invaders like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and parasites. Innate and Adaptive The immune system is often thought of as two separate platoons: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system. Although these two platoons have different jobs and are made up of soldiers with different specialties, they work together to prevent infections. The innate immune system is the first line of defense against infection. Components of the innate immune system include: Skin, which provides a physical barrier against invaders Mucous membranes in the nose, throat, and lungs, which can trap invaders before they cause infection Stomach acid, which can kill microbes in the stomach Enzymes, such as lysozyme in saliva and tears, that can kill pathogens by attacking their outer membranes Specialized cells called phagocytes, which can detect and clear out microbes Tiny proteins floating in the blood called the complement system, which can tag microbes for immune cells ...
Source: Biomedical Beat Blog - National Institute of General Medical Sciences - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Cells Common questions Immunology Miniseries Infectious Diseases Microbes Source Type: blogs