Your Body’s Defenders: Top 10 Facts You Need to Know about Immunology
1. What is Immunology?
Immunology is the study of the immune system and how it protects the body from infections and disease.
2. What is Immunity?
Immunity is the ability of the body to protect itself from infections and disease.
3. What is an Immune Response?
When a foreign substance or pathogen enters the body, the immune system responds by attacking and destroying it to prevent infection.
4. What are White Blood Cells?
White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, are cells of the immune system that identify and destroy pathogens and other foreign compounds that enter the body.
5. What is the Role of Antibodies?
Antibodies are proteins produced by your immune system in response to foreign substances. They attach to the invading particle, allowing white blood cells to identify and destroy it more easily and effectively.
6. What are Vaccines?
Vaccines are substances that contain harmless versions or pieces of a pathogen to stimulate the immune system to create antibodies and build immunity to the actual pathogen.
7. What is the Role of Memory T-cells?
Memory T-cells are a type of white blood cell that “remembers” past immune responses and helps the body mount a faster and stronger response to that same infection in the future.
8. What are Autoimmune Diseases?
Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system attacks normal, healthy cells in the body instead of foreign invaders. Diseases such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis are examples of autoimmune diseases.
9. What is Immunodeficiency?
Immunodeficiency is a failure of the immune system to protect the body effectively against infections and diseases. HIV infection is an example of an immunodeficiency disorder.
10. What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that harnesses the power of the immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. It can involve drugs that activate or boost immune cells, or treatment with antibodies that target cancer cells specifically.