Immunity and Microbes

Artifical Immunity via a vaccination.


Immunity (medical), a state of having sufficient biological defenses to avoid infection, disease, or other unwanted biological invasion, and is related to the functions of the immune system (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immunity)

There are two types of immunity. Active immunity and passive immunity. Active immunity is when our body naturally creates an immunity to a disease or illness. Passive immunity is when we transfer antibodies or immune cells to fight a disease.

Some disorders of the immune system area autoimmune disease which is were our body attacks it's own cells. The cause for this disease is unknown. There's multiple sclerosis which is when the T cells attack the myelin sheath of nerve fibers. When a person has a immune deficency, their body is unable to protect itself from disease. AIDS is probably one of the most know and most feared immune deficiancy disease. Due to their weekend immune system most AIDS patients die due to secondary infections or cancer.

MICROBES

Microbes are microscopic organisms, such as bacteria. Microbes can live everywhere, even on inanimate objects. Microbes aren't always harmful infact the can be useful to us. Many drugs and foods that we eat/use contain bacteria in them.

Our body has three lines of defense to help keep harmful bacteria away. They are:

1. Our skin and mucous acts as a barrier to keep bacteria out.
2. Our white blood cells kick in to fight infection if bacteria does get in.
3. We have specific defenses that overcome an infection by killing the disease causing agent.