The immune system is like a superhero team inside our bodies, always on the lookout for bad guys trying to make us sick. It’s made up of different parts that work together to keep us healthy.
One of the main parts is white blood cells, which are like the soldiers of our immune system. They’re produced in our bone marrow and patrol our body, searching for any invaders.
Then there are the lymphoid organs, which are like training grounds for our immune cells. These include the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, tonsils, and bone marrow. They help our immune cells grow and learn how to fight off germs.
When a germ, like a virus or bacteria, tries to attack us, our immune system goes into action. It recognizes the germ as a threat and sends out special proteins called antibodies to tag it.
Other immune cells, like T cells and phagocytes, then swoop in to destroy the tagged germs. It’s like a battle inside our bodies, with our immune system fighting to keep us safe.
Once the battle is over and the germs are defeated, some of our immune cells stick around as memory cells. They remember how to fight off that specific germ, so if it tries to attack us again in the future, our immune system can respond quickly and stop it before we get sick.
In simple terms, our immune system is like our body’s own defense force, always ready to protect us from germs and keep us healthy.
References:
1. Janeway CA Jr, Travers P, Walport M, et al. Immunobiology: The Immune System in Health and Disease. 5th edition. New York: Garland Science; 2001.
2. Abbas AK, Lichtman AH, Pillai S. Cellular and Molecular Immunology. 9th edition. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2018.