Define immunity

: immunity possessed by a group (as a species or race) that is present in an individual at birth prior to exposure to a pathogen or antigen and that includes components (as intact skin, salivary enzymes, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and complement) which provide an initial response against infection called also natural immunity compare acquired immunity, active immunity, passive immunity

What is the immune system? The immune system is what protects your body from diseases and infections. It's the bodily system that produces the immune response to defend your body from foreign substances, cells, and tissues. The immune system includes various parts of the body including the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes, special deposits of lymphoid tissue (such as those in the gastrointestinal tract and bone marrow), macrophages, lymphocytes including the B cells and T cells, and antibodies. What is herd immunity? The term herd immunity refers to a reduction in the likelihood of someone catching a specific infectious disease because a significant proportion of the people in that person's community are immune to it. If you are less likely to come in contact with an infectious person, you're less likely to get infected yourself. The people in a community can be immune to a particular disease especially through previous exposure or vaccination. Recent Examples on the Web Still, scientists say, those who are up to date on vaccines are not guaranteed immunity from the syndrome if they get infected. — Rong-gong Lin Ii, Los Angeles Times, 2 June 2023 According to the eight-page complaint, Rosco Blackman was present in U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey’s courtroom on Tuesday for the testimony of Vaughn, a key prosecution witnesses who had been granted immunity by the U.S. attorney’s office. — Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 31 May 2023 Most researchers working on next-generatio...

the condition of being immune; the protection against infectious disease conferred either by the immune response generated by immunization or previous infection or by other nonimmunologic factors. It encompasses the capacity to distinguish foreign material from The mechanisms of immunity are essentially concerned with the body's ability to recognize and dispose of substances which it interprets as foreign and harmful to its well-being. When such a substance enters the body, complex chemical and mechanical activities are set into motion to defend and protect the body's cells and tissues. The foreign substance, usually a protein, is called an reaction is an essential component of the overall immune response. A second type of activity, cellular response, is also an essential component. The various and complex mechanisms of immunity are basic to the body's ability to protect itself against specific infectious agents and parasites, to accept or reject cells and tissues from other individuals, as in blood transfusions and organ transplants, and to protect against cancer, as when the immune system recognizes malignant cells as not-self and destroys them. There has been extensive research into the body's ability to differentiate between cells, organisms, and other substances that are Immunological Responses. Immunological responses in humans can be divided into two broad categories: humoral immunity, which takes place in the body fluids (humors) and is concerned with antibody and ...

What is Immunity? Image 1.1: Active vs. Passive Immunity Immunity refers to the body’s ability to prevent the invasion of pathogens. Pathogens are foreign disease-causing substances, such as bacteria and viruses, and people are exposed to them every day. Antigens are attached to the surface of pathogens and stimulate an immune response in the body. An immune response is the body’s defense system to fight against antigens and protect the body. There are several types of immunity, including innate immunity, passive immunity, and acquired/active immunity. Image 1.1 is a visual showing active immunity as a process of exposing the body to an antigen to produce an adaptive immune response, while passive immunity “borrows” antibodies from another person. • Innate immunity is general protection that a person is born with, including physical barriers (skin, body hair), defense mechanisms (saliva, gastric acid), and general immune responses (inflammation). This type of immunity is considered non-specific (Khan Academy, n.d). Although the immune system does not know exactly what kind of antigen is invading the body, it can respond quickly to defend against any pathogen. • Passive immunity is the body’s capacity to resist pathogens by “borrowing” antibodies. For example, antibodies can be transferred to a baby from a mother’s breast milk, or through blood products containing antibodies such as immunoglobulin that can be transfused from one person to another. The most common form of pa...

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Term Meaning Pathogen A disease-causing organism, including bacteria, Antigen Molecule that stimulates an immune response Innate immune system Non-specific immune system Adaptive immune system Antigen-specific immune system Antibody Specialized Y-shaped protein that tags antigens for destruction B cells White blood cells that produce antibodies and aid in immunological memory T cells White blood cells specialized to assist B cells (helper T) and others directly kills infected cells (killer T) Humoral immunity Adaptive immune defense depending on the action of antibodies Cell-mediated Immunity Adaptive immune defense in which foreign cells are destroyed by T cells Virus Nonliving particle containing protein and DNA/RNA that can infect a living cell Vaccine A killed or weakened form of a pathogen that produces immunity when injected into the body An inflammatory response begins when a pathogen stimulates an increase in blood flow to the infected area. Blood vessels in that area expand, and white blood cells leak from the vessels to invade the infected tissue. These white blood cells, called phagocytes engulf and destroy bacteria. The area often becomes red, swollen, and painful during an inflammatory response. Specific immune responses are triggered by antigens. Antigens are usually found on the surface of pathogens and are unique to that particular pathogen. The immune system responds to antigens by producing cells that directly attack the pathogen, or by producing special ...

the condition of being immune; the protection against infectious disease conferred either by the immune response generated by immunization or previous infection or by other nonimmunologic factors. It encompasses the capacity to distinguish foreign material from The mechanisms of immunity are essentially concerned with the body's ability to recognize and dispose of substances which it interprets as foreign and harmful to its well-being. When such a substance enters the body, complex chemical and mechanical activities are set into motion to defend and protect the body's cells and tissues. The foreign substance, usually a protein, is called an reaction is an essential component of the overall immune response. A second type of activity, cellular response, is also an essential component. The various and complex mechanisms of immunity are basic to the body's ability to protect itself against specific infectious agents and parasites, to accept or reject cells and tissues from other individuals, as in blood transfusions and organ transplants, and to protect against cancer, as when the immune system recognizes malignant cells as not-self and destroys them. There has been extensive research into the body's ability to differentiate between cells, organisms, and other substances that are Immunological Responses. Immunological responses in humans can be divided into two broad categories: humoral immunity, which takes place in the body fluids (humors) and is concerned with antibody and ...

What is Immunity? Image 1.1: Active vs. Passive Immunity Immunity refers to the body’s ability to prevent the invasion of pathogens. Pathogens are foreign disease-causing substances, such as bacteria and viruses, and people are exposed to them every day. Antigens are attached to the surface of pathogens and stimulate an immune response in the body. An immune response is the body’s defense system to fight against antigens and protect the body. There are several types of immunity, including innate immunity, passive immunity, and acquired/active immunity. Image 1.1 is a visual showing active immunity as a process of exposing the body to an antigen to produce an adaptive immune response, while passive immunity “borrows” antibodies from another person. • Innate immunity is general protection that a person is born with, including physical barriers (skin, body hair), defense mechanisms (saliva, gastric acid), and general immune responses (inflammation). This type of immunity is considered non-specific (Khan Academy, n.d). Although the immune system does not know exactly what kind of antigen is invading the body, it can respond quickly to defend against any pathogen. • Passive immunity is the body’s capacity to resist pathogens by “borrowing” antibodies. For example, antibodies can be transferred to a baby from a mother’s breast milk, or through blood products containing antibodies such as immunoglobulin that can be transfused from one person to another. The most common form of pa...

Bilingual Dictionaries • English–Dutch Dutch–English • English–French French–English • English–German German–English • English–Indonesian Indonesian–English • English–Italian Italian–English • English–Japanese Japanese–English • English–Norwegian Norwegian–English • English–Polish Polish–English • English–Portuguese Portuguese–English • English–Spanish Spanish–English

: immunity possessed by a group (as a species or race) that is present in an individual at birth prior to exposure to a pathogen or antigen and that includes components (as intact skin, salivary enzymes, neutrophils, natural killer cells, and complement) which provide an initial response against infection called also natural immunity compare acquired immunity, active immunity, passive immunity