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8: The Immune System

  • Page ID
    191663
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    This chapter outlines the layered responses of the human immune system, including both innate and adaptive immune responses. It also describes the structures and functions of the lymphatic system, with a focus on its roles in host defense. In addition, the chapter examines three different types of immune system disorders.

    • 8.1: Introduction to the Immune System
      The immune system is a host defense system. It comprises many biological structures - ranging from individual white blood cells to entire organs - as well as many complex biological processes. The function of the immune system is to protect the host from pathogens and other causes of disease such as tumor cells. To function properly, the immune system must be able to detect a wide variety of pathogens.
    • 8.2: Lymphatic System
      The lymphatic system is a collection of organs involved in the production, maturation, and harboring of white blood cells called lymphocytes. It also includes a network of vessels that transport or filter lymph, where lymphocytes circulate.
    • 8.3: The Innate Immune System
      The innate immune system is a subset of the human immune system that produces rapid but non-specific responses to pathogens. Innate responses are generic rather than tailored to a particular pathogen. Every pathogen that is encountered is responded to in the same general ways by the innate system. Although the innate immune system provides immediate and rapid defenses against pathogens, it does not confer long-lasting immunity to them.
    • 8.4: The Adaptive Immune System
      The adaptive immune system is a subsystem of the overall immune system. It is composed of highly specialized cells and processes that eliminate specific pathogens and tumor cells. An adaptive immune response is set in motion by antigens that the immune system recognizes as foreign. Unlike an innate immune response, an adaptive immune response is highly specific to a particular pathogen (or its antigen).
    • 8.5: Disorders of the Immune System
      Allergies and autoimmune diseases are examples of disorders in which the immune system mounts inappropriate inflammatory responses.

    Thumbnail: From left to right: erythrocyte, platelet, and lymphocyte. (Public Domain; The National Cancer Institute at Frederick ).​​​


    This page titled 8: The Immune System is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Tara Jo Holmberg via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.