Anatomy and Physiology

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Immune System Tour of the System By taking an imaginary tour of the Immune System, we’ll get a better idea of how it works and what it does. When a virus invades the body, it first attacks a sin ... gle cell. From there, the virus cop- ies itself repeatedly until much of the body is affected--and INfected. This is where the Immune System takes action. First, it sends a spy known as a mac- rophage. The macrophage figures out that the virus is an enemy and does not belong. After the tiny spy moves toward the virus, it devours it, shredding it. The macrophage next displays antigens on its surface. Antigens are just tiny fragments of the virus. This macrophage could continue seeking out the original virus’s offspring, but it would take too long. Instead, it goes for help. This help comes from a T Cell. Specifically, the macrophage finds T cells that recognize fragments from the virus on the surface of the macrophage. When the macrophage meets a T cell and the T cell recog-nizes traces of the virus on its surface, the T cell and macrophage physically unite. This connecting of the cells creates a chain reaction that leads to the destruction of all copies of the virus inside the body. How did this happen? When the T cell and macrophage connected, they released chemi-cals which stimulate production of more helper T cells and more macrophages. Even better, they stimulate production of a “killer” T cell. This new killer T cell tracks do [Show More]

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