Role of Phagocytes in Innate or Nonspecific Immunity

*What is the point of the immune system?

.Immune system keeps out pathogens

.Pathogens consist of bacteria, diseases, viruses, fungi, parasites, etc.

*What is inate immunity?

.Inate immunity is a non-specific line of defense for the body. It doesn't remember threats. It deals with generalized threats. For instance, it responds to all viruses and all bacteria; it is there to flush out all threats to enter the body.

*What is the first line of defense?

.The first line of defense's goal is to keep out pathogens by utilizing the skin, the oil on our skin, mucus membranes, stomach acids,

.Note: The digestion tract is really on the outside of the body, hypothetically

*What is the second line of defense?

.The second line of defense consists of a couple different responses like an inflamitory response, which brings cells that can combat the threat after it has breached the first defense.

.The second is phagocytes, which bond with threats and wrap around the pathogen, which becomes a phagozome, a vesicle,  after it engulfs the pathogen entirely. Once that happens, a highly reactive chemical or cell in the phagozome will breakdown in the area containing the threat and dissolve or digest it.

*What is major histocompatibility complex II (MHC II)?

.After the threat is broken down, the phagozome will integrate certain parts of the broken down proteins from the threat into the MHC II cells in the phagozome. It will then present this protein to a more specific section of the immune system. They use this protein to identify and kill this threat, which is integrated into the phagozones.

*What is an antigen?

The more specific section of the immune system is known as an antigen. Antigens are developed to create a defense against a specific pathogen.

Analysis: The Inate Immune System is really there to identify new threats to generate specific defenses against specific threats so the body can deal with the threat swifter.