Chapter 6, Problem 1O

Summary Introduction

To describe: The way in which innate and acquired immunity work together and protect the body against infections.

Introduction: The term “immunity” is derived from the Latin word “immunitas” meaning “freedom from”. Immunity refers to every mechanism of the body that helps to protect the body from harmful foreign agents called antigens. For this purpose, the immune system includes a complex network of both cellular and chemical processes, whose combined action protects the body from the invading antigens.

Explanation of Solution

Generally, two layers of immune protection namely innate and acquired immune system are required for a healthy immune system. The innate system is the non-specific system and includes three major components as follows:

• Physical barriers include skin and mucous membrane lining the digestive, respiratory, and urinogenital tracts.
• Special cells such as phagocytes and natural killer cells that are capable of destroying the invading pathogens.
• Complement system that includes a group of proteins is capable of destroying the invaders.

The acquired immune system is also well adapted to fight against the invading pathogens. Those antigens that escape the innate immunity are trapped in the acquired immunity. It is specially designed to fight against viruses. B-cells that produce antibodies and T-cells that are specialized for recognition and removal of antigens in the body are the major cells involved in acquired immunity. The components of these two systems overlap to ensure that the body is protected from the invading antigens in an efficient way.