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What Does This System Do?The immune system is there to keep you alive and healthy. The system can attack foreign invaders or it can go after cells created within your body that could endanger your life. Sometimes cancer cells are the targets of our immune system. As pathogens attack your body, the immune system begins a series of immunological defenses.You know when your immune system is at work because of the symptoms you might have. Fever, swelling, and a runny nose are all examples of symptoms during an immunological response. Your immune system can respond many ways to a problem. There would be one response to a knife wound, a separate response to hay fever and pollen, and a specific response to catching a cold. Interacting with Other SystemsThe immune system is like a small police force that constantly patrols every organ and tissue in your body. It works closely with the circulatory system for transportation needs and the lymphatic system for production of lymphocytes. It may surprise you, but one of the most important parts of the immune system is the entire integumentary system (your skin). Your skin is usually the first defense your body has against disease. It just makes sense. There is far more chance you will get dangerous bacteria or viruses on your skin and hands than breathe those microorganisms in your lungs. You have cells and compounds on your skin that help to kill any bacteria that appear. Always remember to wash your hands; most of the microorganisms that get you sick are picked up when you touch things.Problems with the SystemWe wanted to talk a little about diseases and failures of the immune system. AIDS is one of the most well known diseases that can hurt the immune system. AIDS is a disease where specific immune cells such as helper-T and inducer-T cells are killed. Without those cells, the immune system cannot work properly and even minor diseases can kill the organism.There are also genetic problems with immune systems. Something as simple as an allergic reaction happens because an individual cannot properly tolerate certain allergens. Inflammation and hay fever occur. Normal individuals can destroy those allergens, but people who are "allergic" cannot defend themselves. You could have allergies to animals, food, or plants. Some allergic reactions are so extreme they can kill.
Science Behind the News: Allergies (US-NSF Video) Last Update: April 23, 2020; Next update: 2023. The immune system has a vital role: It protects your body from harmful substances, germs and cell changes that could make you ill. It is made up of various organs, cells and proteins. As long as your immune system is running smoothly, you don’t notice that it’s there. But if it stops working properly – because it’s weak or can't fight particularly aggressive germs – you get ill. Germs that your body has never encountered before are also likely to make you ill. Some germs will only make you ill the first time you come into contact with them. These include childhood diseases like chickenpox. Without an immune system, we would have no way to fight harmful things that enter our body from the outside or harmful changes that occur inside our body. The main tasks of the body’s immune system are
The immune system can be activated by a lot of different things that the body doesn’t recognize as its own. These are called antigens. Examples of antigens include the proteins on the surfaces of bacteria, fungi and viruses. When these antigens attach to special receptors on the immune cells (immune system cells), a whole series of processes are triggered in the body. Once the body has come into contact with a disease-causing germ for the first time, it usually stores information about the germ and how to fight it. Then, if it comes into contact with the germ again, it recognizes the germ straight away and can start fighting it faster. The body’s own cells have proteins on their surface, too. But those proteins don’t usually trigger the immune system to fight the cells. Sometimes the immune system mistakenly thinks that the body's own cells are foreign cells. It then attacks healthy, harmless cells in the body. This is known as an autoimmune response. There are two subsystems within the immune system, known as the innate (non-specific) immune system and the adaptive (specific) immune system. Both of these subsystems are closely linked and work together whenever a germ or harmful substance triggers an immune response. The innate immune system provides a general defense against harmful germs and substances, so it’s also called the non-specific immune system. It mostly fights using immune cells such as natural killer cells and phagocytes (“eating cells”). The main job of the innate immune system is to fight harmful substances and germs that enter the body, for instance through the skin or digestive system. The adaptive (specific) immune system makes antibodies and uses them to specifically fight certain germs that the body has previously come into contact with. This is also known as an “acquired” (learned) or specific immune response. Because the adaptive immune system is constantly learning and adapting, the body can also fight bacteria or viruses that change over time. Sources
The immune system protects your child's body from outside invaders. These include germs such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and toxins (chemicals made by microbes). The immune system is made up of different organs, cells, and proteins that work together. There are 2 main parts of the immune system:
These 2 immune systems work together. The innate immune systemThis is your child's rapid response system. It is the first to respond when it finds an invader. It is made up of the skin, the eye's cornea, and the mucous membrane that lines the respiratory, gastrointestinal, and genitourinary tracts. These all create physical barriers to help protect your child's body. They protect against harmful germs, parasites (such as worms), or cells (such as cancer). The innate immune system is inherited. It is active from the moment your child is born. When this system recognizes an invader, it goes into action right away. The cells of this immune system surround and cover the invader. The invader is killed inside the immune system cells (called phagocytes). The acquired immune systemThe acquired immune system, with help from the innate system, makes special proteins (called antibodies) to protect your body from a specific invader. These antibodies are developed by cells called B lymphocytes after the body has been exposed to the invader. The antibodies stay in your child's body. It can take several days for antibodies to form. But after the first exposure, the immune system will recognize the invader and defend against it. The acquired immune system changes during your child's life. Immunizations train your child's immune system to make antibodies to protect them from harmful diseases. The cells of both parts of the immune system are made in different organs of the body, including:
How do antibiotics help fight infections?Antibiotics can be used to help your child's immune system fight infections by bacteria. But antibiotics don’t work for infections caused by viruses. Antibiotics were developed to kill or disable certain bacteria. That means that an antibiotic that works for a skin infection caused by a certain bacteria may not work to cure diarrhea caused by a different bacteria. Using antibiotics for viral infections or using the wrong antibiotic to treat a bacterial infection can help bacteria become resistant to the antibiotic so it won't work as well in the future. It's important to take antibiotics as prescribed and for the right amount of time. If antibiotics are stopped early, the bacteria may develop a resistance to the antibiotics. Then the infection may come back again and be harder to treat. Most colds and acute bronchitis infections won't respond to antibiotics. You can help decrease the spread of more aggressive bacteria by not asking your child’s healthcare provider for antibiotics in these cases. |