Innate immune system
Innate immune system
The Innate immune system (pronunciation: /ɪˈneɪt ɪˈmjuːn ˈsɪstəm/) is the part of the immune system that comes into play immediately or within hours of an antigen's appearance in the body. These mechanisms include physical barriers such as skin, chemicals in the blood, and immune system cells that attack foreign cells in the body.
Etymology
The term "innate" comes from the Latin innatus, meaning "inborn". This reflects the fact that the innate immune system is the body's first line of defense, present from birth.
Function
The innate immune system is an older evolutionary defense strategy, relatively speaking, and it is the dominant immune system response found in plants, fungi, insects, and primitive multicellular organisms.
The main job of the innate system is to fight harmful substances and germs that enter the body, for instance through the skin or digestive system.
Components
The innate immune system is composed of cells and proteins that are always present and ready to mobilize and fight microbes at the site of infection. The main components of the innate immune system are:
- Physical barriers such as skin and mucous membranes
- Phagocytes, cells that engulf and destroy pathogens
- Natural killer cells, which destroy infected cells
- Complement system, a series of proteins designed to attack pathogens
- Inflammatory response, which helps to prevent infection and repair damaged tissue
Related Terms
- Adaptive immune system: The part of the immune system that learns and adapts to new threats.
- Immunity: The ability of an organism to resist a particular infection or toxin.
- Antigen: A toxin or other foreign substance which induces an immune response in the body.
- Pathogen: A bacterium, virus, or other microorganism that can cause disease.
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