3. Knowing the basic difference between innate and adaptive immu- nity is import

Question

3. Knowing the basic difference between innate and adaptive immu- nity is important. I'm going to briefly describe a few situations Indicate whether innate or adaptive immunity would be the biggest and best way of dealing with each type of attack or situat why you think so, in a sentence or two below the situations. ion, and I spill a tube of bacteria on the skin of my arm. a. b. I accidentally break a tube of bacteria, cutting my hand and getting some of the bacteria in the cut in the process. c. A student who really doesn't like me pours a tube of bacteria into my coffee. I drink it before I realize what's happened. d. I breathe in dust particles while I'm cleaning my house e. I breathe in deeply while I'm sitting next to a person who is coughing and sneezing a lot on a long airplane trip. ra n nmsce bo my doctor forgets to swab my skin first with an alcohol swab. g. I forget to wash my hands before I pull out my contact lenses. h. I'm a drug addict who shoots heroin into his veins, and I can't always get sterile needles.

Explanation / Answer

Remember that innate immunity is carried mainly by phagocytes cells, and it is the immediate answer to an infection. While adaptive immunity is against specific pathogens and involves lymphocytes.

With this in mind lets try to answer each situation:

a)Innate (anatomical barriers).The skin is an organ that protects the skin from bacteria, it shouldnt tresspass. If somehow it did, macrophages would be under the skin ready to clear them.

b) Here we know for sure the bacteria made it inside of the body. Yet, the biggest answer is still innate, in order to remove bacteria from blood and tissues. (Inflammation)

c)Still innate (first al least). Stomach acids, and special macrophages in the small intestine are there to prevent bacteria entering. It may not be sufficient and inflammation or complement system may be activated.

d)Innate. You may cough, sneeze, produce mucus. All barriers.

e)Adaptive (Probably). Maybe they have a virus or a bacteria like Streptococcus pneumoniae. You most probably have the vaccines or natural immunological memory. If this is the case, you have adaptive defense and lymphocytes will be the main actors.

f)Oops, bacteria gets inside. First response is innate. Then, maybe is a bacteria you had before? Innate response wasn´t effective? Adaptive answer may be best.

g)Same as before. Tears are protective, there are cells keeping bacteria out but it may not be enough. Infection may happen and adaptive immunity can take a role.

h)You might be sharing drops of blood from other people. And if they have infections, you will too. Maybe you have vaccines! may be you don´t. The biggest and best way to deal with it is adaptive immunity. But you may not have defenses already. If it is the first time your immune system "sees" new pathogens directly in the blood flow, the first answer will be innate. (But remember that the innate system presents the antigens to lymphocytes in order to activate a future adaptive answer.

Hope it was helpful! Good luck!

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