Knowra Innate immune system Innate immune system The body’s rapid defenses against infection and tissue damage, present from birth and guided by general threat patterns rather than highly specific immune memory.
Pattern recognition receptor : A receptor that detects recurring molecular patterns associated with microbes or tissue damage. These receptors let innate cells recognize broad classes of threats without prior exposure.
Skin : The body’s external tissue barrier, which limits entry of microbes and helps prevent water loss. Intact skin blocks many threats before immune cells need to respond.
Adaptive immune system : The immune system’s antigen-specific defenses, mediated mainly by B and T lymphocytes and capable of lasting memory. Adaptive immunity develops targeted responses and memory, unlike innate defenses’ rapid pattern-based recognition.
Sepsis : Life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated response to infection. Sepsis shows how an excessive, body-wide innate response can damage organs.
Toll-like receptor : A family of pattern recognition receptors that detects microbial molecules and activates inflammatory signaling. Toll-like receptors provide a well-studied route from microbial detection to innate immune activation.
Mucosal immune system : Immune defenses operating at body surfaces that contact the outside world, including the gut and respiratory tract. Mucosal tissues combine physical barriers with innate sensing at common infection entry points.
Antibody : A protein made by B cells that binds a specific antigen and can neutralize or mark it for destruction. Antibodies target particular antigens, while innate defenses recognize broader patterns.
Autoimmunity : An immune response directed against the body’s own molecules, cells, or tissues. Innate sensing of self-derived danger signals can contribute to autoimmune inflammation.
Inflammation : A local or systemic response to infection or injury involving immune cells, blood vessels, and signaling molecules. Innate detection often triggers inflammation to recruit defenses and contain damage.
Neutrophil : A short-lived white blood cell that rapidly engulfs microbes and releases antimicrobial substances. Neutrophils are among the earliest recruited cellular defenders during acute infection.
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