Explain how natural immunity helps to defend the body against diseases?

Question

Explain how natural immunity helps to defend the body against diseases?

Answer 1

Well, the immune system is quite complicated, and we spent several months learning about it in medical school...so this will just be a Cliff notes version.

The immune system consists of various types of white blood cells (lymphocytes, monoctyes, macrophages, and several others) as well as protein complexes known as immunoglobulins, and complement

Most babies will get some immune proteins from their mothers milk if they are breast fed.  The first few days of lactation is high in something called colostrum, which gives the baby immunity against anything the mom was immune to.

Every time we are exposed to an infection...lets say a virus...the body can attack it with some of its' "hunter-killer' cells.  It also makes a specific immunoglobulin for that particular virus, so that the next time you are exposed, the immune globullins attach to it and make it more recognizable.

Many viruses (like the cold and flu virus) keep mutating so that the body doesn't recognize them, thats why it is so hard to develope a vaccine for the common cold.

That was a very badly done, off the top of my head explanation.  As I said, it is VERY complicated...learn more at Wiki

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immune_syst...