Innate Immunity

By Leslie, Melissa, & Makayla

 What is it?

The innate immune system is made up of defenses against infection that can be activated
right after a pathogen attacks. The innate immune system is essentially made up of barriers
that aim to keep viruses, bacteria, parasites, and other foreign particles out of your body or
limit the ability to spread and move throughout the body.

Meli
 What are its defenses, functions or activities? How does it help with immunity?

Preventative barriers of the Innate Immune System include

- Physical Barriers (skin, eyelashes, respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract)

- Defense Mechanisms (secretions, bile, saliva, tears, sweat)
- General Immune Responses
- Inflammation: brings cells to site of an infection by increasing blood flow to that area
- Complement: marks pathogens for destruction and creates holes in the pathogen’s
membrane

Since Innate Immunity is always nonspecific, anything that is identified as foreign in the
body is targeted. However, no memory is gained from this meaning that there is no long
lasting immunity.

Makayla
What cells, tissues or organs are responsible for doing the work?
If applicable, is it inherited or acquired? Be specific
 How are the cells/organs responsible for their job?
The cells that are responsible for doing that work are leukocytes, that work to defend the human body. In order to
patrol the whole body leukocytes travel by the way of the circulatory system.

The following cells are leukocytes of the innate immune system are:

● Phagocytic cells: aka “eating cells” which circulate the whole body and look for potential threats
● Macrophages: are cells that can leave the circulatory system which allows it to hunt pathogens with less limits
● Mast Cells: are found in mucous membranes & connective tissue & are important for wound healing and
defense against pathogens.
● Neutrophils: are cells that are classified as granulocytes. The granules are very toxic to bacteria and fungi and
cause them to die on contact.
● Eosinophils: secrete a range of highly toxic proteins and free radicals that kill bacteria and parasites.
● Basophils: release histamine, much like mast cells
● Natural killer cells: destroy infected host cells in order to stop the spread of an infection
● Dendritic cells: antigen presenting cells that can contact external environments through the skin

Meli
 What are its limitations or drugs that suppress response?

A few of the limitations of Innate Immunity include:

- Responses are Non-Specific

- Many of the physical barriers also serve as areas
of entrance for pathogens
- The body doesn’t retain memory of the infection
- Cannot provide lasting immunity to the body
Makayla
3 Interesting facts

● White blood cells only make up a small percentage of

your blood
● Stress can affect the way your immune system works
● Being too clean can inhibit your immune system from
functioning properly
References

1. Innate immunity. (2018). Khan Academy. Retrieved 5 February 2018, from

https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/organ-systems/the-immune-system/a/innate-immunity
2. Cerruto, Lauren. “Immunology in Review.” Living Medical ETextbook ,
lmt.projectsinknowledge.com/Activity/index.cfm?showfile=b&i=5&jn=2093&sj=2093.01.
3. “Defense Mechanisms.” Sphweb.bumc.bu.edu,
sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mph-modules/ph/ph709_defenses/ph709_defenses_print.html.
4. https://www.livescience.com/40712-immune-system-surprising-facts.html