Human’s body is constantly under attack by: bacteria, viruses and many other microorganisms, these are called pathogens. Our body is a rich source of water and nutrients that these pathogens need to survive, it is a perfect environment for them to live and develop. Nevertheless, human’s body has its own way to protect itself from these invaders, therefore most of the time we remain healthy. Immune system is a system of many biological structures and processes within an organism that provides a defence against disease. There are three major lines of our defence against pathogens. The first is to prevent their entry by defences of the skin and mucous membranes in the respiratory, digestive and urogenital tracts. If this fails, two internal defences takes over: an initial non-specific inflammatory response to injury, or if this unsuccessful, is followed by specific immune response. Two major divisions of the immune response: non-specific and specific.
(Rowland, 1992)
Non-specific defence attacks any molecule, which the body recognises as being non-self and skin is the first barrier that antigen needs to pass through. The first layer of the skin – epidermis, consist of the layer of dead skin cells that lack of water and suitable food, which inhibits the growth of micro-organisms inside the epidermis. Sebum, secreted by sebaceous gland in the skin, contains fatty acids, which are toxic to many microorganisms. Areas that are not covered by the skin have alternative
The immune system depends on the body’s structures to help it function. For instance, the skin acts as the “body’s first line of defense.” If a pathogen finds a breach in the skin barrier, it is the circulatory system that must now signal the immune system of the invader. Shortly after, white blood cells will be notified of the infection and will target and destroy the pathogen.
One defence mechanism of the human body is that when a person gets ill or is infected the person will get a fever, this is a method of notifying the person. This is a bodily defence mechanism produced by the immune system, its main purpose is to make it difficult for the virus to multiply prepare for the virus. The body’s pH level will also change to make it less optimal for the virus. The immune system’s mechanism will change depending on the body’s condition. If the body gets cut the immune system will causes inflammation, this will cause red blood cells to come to the
The body’s protection against viruses, bacteria and other types of invasions is our immune system (Tortora, 2014).
Defense mechanisms are said to be specific because depending on which one they focus on one specific part of the body or a specific type of pathogen.
Adaptive immunity (p.446): The body’s ability to recognize and defend itself against distinct invaders and their products.
Answer: Innate immune system or nonspecific resistance is also known as first line of defense. It’s nonspecific that means not design to target any specific microorganisms. Response time for innate immune system is very quick compare to adaptive immune system. These infections inhibited by the substance that change the humoral or cellular component of the host that mediated non specific resistance. They are not specific means they provide protection against a spectrum of organism. And they are vitamin, minerals, fatty acid and microbial product. These substances are major part of our diet. We consume food and get from it. Diet has both
Our bodies were specifically designed to fight off diseases organically through the use of our immune system. When an antigen enters our bodies, our immune system immediately acknowledges its presence and produces antibodies to fight off the foreign organism. The antibodies will search for the disease organism and will dismantle it when found. The next time the body comes in contact with
The integumentary system is the body’s first line of defense and protection. This is your skin, and it is the main part of the integumentary system, protecting you from invasions from germs, bacteria and other horrible things no one wants to think about. The integumentary system also regulates your bodies temperature, by making you sweat, shiver, and also by changing the diameter of the blood vessels in our skin. Our brain receives most of our sensory information from the outer most layers of the skin called the epidermis. We feel heat, pain, cold, pressure, and so much more, all of this just from the epidermis. Our bodies also have glands in the skin that help lubricate, this waterproofs the skin, and also inhibits the unwanted growth of bacteria. Our main components are skin, hair, sweat glands, sebaceous glands and nails.
There are two parts in the immune system that help the body from being invaded or infected: innate immunity and the adaptive immunity. The innate immunity is the initial response to invaders and consists of defense mechanism: surface barriers and the internal defense. The first defense mechanism in the innate immunity is the body surface barriers, such as the skin and the mucous membrane. The surface barriers serve as mechanical, physical and chemical barriers. Mechanical barriers are consisted of your mucosa lining in the stomach. This lining has enzymes like: 1) amylase, breaks down starch into smaller carbohydrates; 2) protease, breaks down proteins into amino acids; 3) lipase, breaks down fats into fatty acids and glycerol; and 4) other enzymes are the cells that
Though several of these CLOs have been associated with human and animal diseases, there prevalence and etiology is still unrevealed. Most the known mechanism of infection and host interaction is in amoebae and comparing them to chlamydia virulence factors and speculating on the functions of their common genes. The two most studied are Simkania and Parachlamydia and will be the main focus in describing the immune response and pathogen evasion.
Epithelial surfaces from a barrier to protect the body against foreign invaders, making skin an animal’s first line of defense. The desquamation of skin epithelium removes pathogens that have stuck to the skin, therefore further protecting the body. As long as the skin remains intact and there are no cuts, the skin is a relatively impenetrable barrier. Additionally, the sebaceous glands produce oils which help to kill microbes that attach themselves to the skin. The skin also secretes acid
The body has two immune systems: the innate immune system and the adaptive immune system.
Normally the body is protected by the immune system. When the immune system detects an unwelcome visitor such as fungi, bacteria and or viruses
If a pathogen breaches barriers: innate immune response result into an immediate effect of non- specific response. All Innate immune systems derived from plants and animals, when a pathogen evades the innate response, a third layer of protection is possessed by vertebrates in which activation of adaptive immune system takes place. The immune system response adopts itself within an infection and pathogen recognition is improved. As a result of the improved response, its then retains itself when the pathogen is eliminated in form of an immunological memory and allows the adaptive immune system to mount faster and stronger when pathogen is encountered each time.
Have you ever wondered how your body works? Did you ever think about how your body defends itself from outside invaders? Remember the last time you were sick. Did you know how your body fought and killed the sickness? All these questions can be answered by learning about one of the most important systems in your body, the immune system.