Under certain conditions our physical barriers does get breached. Luckily, our bodies have another line of defenses to handle the threat and prevent any long term issues from occurring.
This section will go over what happens when something make’s it past our physical barrier.
The innate immune response is quite complex and there’s a huge amount of variability (based on the pathogen, location and various other factors) in it’s approach. And understanding all the small details is outside the scope of this book.
Once our cells become aware of the breach, the first part of the defense process is initiated. Inflammation is triggered, defense cells present at the site immediately go to work, and various proteins are activated to assist.
In tandem, the various cells involved in the initial defense begin sending signals for reinforcements.
Inflammation is very important at this point, as it increases local blood circulation, helping deliver more troops and isolating the area (preventing further spreading).
In addition to white blood cells, various proteins are called in to assist in the defense. These proteins are termed as the “complement system” and a brief discussion of them is provided later in this chapter.
Scavenger cells and various phagocytes are usually some of the very first responders. They are multi-talented and are effective at combating a large variety of pathogens.
This section went over what happens when the physical barrier is breached and covered the main components of the innate immune response.