What happens if disease causing microorganisms get past the body`s first line of defense?
What do you mean “if” – this happens on a daily basis. Thankfully our bodies are equipped (most of the time) to fight off most infections. From the simple act of breathing, to having non-intact skin, microorganisms find ways to enter our system. It’s up to our lymphatic, or immune system to fight them off. Without getting into too much detail – Our immune system consists of special types of leukocytes, called lymphocytes. B cells and T cells are the major types of lymphocytes and are derived from hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow. There are 5 types of T cells: Helper T cells – secrete a growth factor for the defense to start Cytotoxic T cells – also known as the “troopers”, they phagocytose the bacteria then die Suppressor T cells – trigger apoptose. All active T cells die (except memory cells) Hypersensitivity T cells – just as they sound, are sensitive to next invasion by same pathogen Memory T cells – remember what the pathogen looked like so next time the same invader ent
