The Blood
By: Joey Lynch
Terms-
Pathogen: A disease producing agent.
Antigen: A substance that regulates the production of antibodies.
Antibody: Y-shaped protein molecules that connect with antigens and are produced by plasma cells.
Immune response: The bodies reaction to an antigen.
Phagocyte: any cell that destroys foreign matter.
Immune Response
The immune response has two lines of defenses. The first line is exterior and the second is interior. The exterior tries its best to catch any bacteria and viruses before they enter your body. These defenses include dead skin cells, sweat, tears, and nose hairs. The interior line of defense is to catch and stop the pathogens from harming your body. These defenses include white blood cells, saliva, and mucous. So for example, say someone were to cough in your area which would spread a viral infection. Your body is first trying to trap the pathogen through your nose hairs. If it breaks the first line of defense and enters your body, your white blood cells are hunting down the pathogen trying to destroy it as quickly as possible. Your body recognizes a pathogen inside you by being antigen-specific. This means that the antigens respond to a specific structure that the pathogen has. If they don't match up, antibodies will come and destroy it. Your body will become somewhat protected from that pathogen by having a memory of its structure which then can detect what that molecule is instantly and destroy it.