Congratulations! You have almost made it through our spectacular journey into the human body. Last but certainly not least, we will be entering the immune system on this last mission. In the immune system, you will be studying and learning about the immune system and it's many parts, including white blood cells, pathogens, antigens and antibodies. Buckle up, and get ready for another unbelievable journey, into the body's immune system!
The Immune System
The Immune System: The immune system, responsible for fighting off invaders, is the body’s main defense against pathogens. There are two types of defense preformed in order to keep invaders out, the nonspecific “fortress wall” defense and the specific “security guards” defense. In the nonspecific defense, the “wall” is meant to keep everything out and guard against foreign substances. In the specific defense, the “guards” have a job of tracking down harmful pathogens that get through the non-specific defense. The two most important defenses against the invaders are the skin, and then the mouth or nose.
Immune System Anatomy
Organs involved with the immune system are called lymphoid organs, which are in charge of affecting the growth, development and the release of lymphocytes. Lymphocytes is just a name for certain type of white blood cell that helps build an infection-fighting immune system. Each lymphoid organ plays a role in the functioning and production of lymphocytes.
Some types of lymphoid organs include:
-adenoids: two glands found in the back of the nasal passage
-blood vessels: all the veins, arteries and capillaries which help the blood flow
-bone marrow: found in bone cavities; soft, spongy tissue
-lymph nodes: shaped like beans, located throughout the body connected by lymphatic vessels
-lymphatic vessels: networking of channels that delivers lymphocytes to the bloodstream and lymphatic organs
-Peyer's patches: found in small intestine; lymphoid tissue
-spleen: found in the abdominal cavity; fist sized organ
-thymus: behind the breast bone, two lobes that join together in front of the trachea
-tonsils: in the back of throat; two oval masses
Some types of lymphoid organs include:
-adenoids: two glands found in the back of the nasal passage
-blood vessels: all the veins, arteries and capillaries which help the blood flow
-bone marrow: found in bone cavities; soft, spongy tissue
-lymph nodes: shaped like beans, located throughout the body connected by lymphatic vessels
-lymphatic vessels: networking of channels that delivers lymphocytes to the bloodstream and lymphatic organs
-Peyer's patches: found in small intestine; lymphoid tissue
-spleen: found in the abdominal cavity; fist sized organ
-thymus: behind the breast bone, two lobes that join together in front of the trachea
-tonsils: in the back of throat; two oval masses
Immune System 101
You might be asking....well how does the immune system fight off so many "bad guys"? The answer to that question is this: by using defense "walls" to block out invaders. There are is so much bacteria always trying to attack your body, and it is truly surprising how few times the average human gets sick each year. The video above gives you a good idea of how hard the body is working to fight off invading substances, and what kind of "battle tactics" are used throughout this process.
