RT Book, Section
A1 Levinson, Warren
A1 Chin-Hong, Peter
A1 Joyce, Elizabeth A.
A1 Nussbaum, Jesse
A1 Schwartz, Brian
SR Print(0)
ID 1171926153
T1 Overview of Immunity
T2 Review of Medical Microbiology & Immunology: A Guide to Clinical Infectious Diseases, 16e
YR 2020
FD 2020
PB McGraw Hill
PP New York, NY
SN 9781260116717
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1171926153
RD 2024/04/19
AB The  main  function  of  the  immune  system  is  to  prevent  or  limit  infections  due  to  viruses,  bacteria,  fungi,  protozoa,  and  worms.  The  first  line  of  defense  against  microorganisms  is  the  barrier  formed  by  intact  skin  and  mucous  membranes.  If  microorganisms  breach  this  line  and  enter  the  body,  then  a  second  line  of  defense  is  available  to  rapidly  detect  foreign  material  and  destroy  any  harmful  agents.  These  components  of  the  immune  system  are  preformed  and  encoded  in  the  genome,  and  therefore,  this  arm  of  host  defense  is  called  innate  immunity  (Table  57–1).  Innate  immunity  works  immediately  upon  the  first  encounter  with  a  microorganism.  The  innate  arm  is  nonspecific  in  that  it  can  recognize  patterns  shared  among  many  microorganisms  (described  in  more  detail  in  Chapter  58).  For  example,  a  neutrophil  can  sense,  ingest,  and  destroy  many  different  kinds  of  bacteria  by  exploiting  features  common  among  bacterial  cells.