Notes

Two groups in which we will simplify the immune system layers:

1. Innate Immune System
2. Adaptive Immune System

Innate Immune System

• Defenses you are born with.
• Employed within seconds after an invasion occurs.
• Can be traced to early mutli-cellular organisms.
• Differentiates self from other.

• No specialization in treating infections. Is a general toolkit for a range of common enemies.

  • Doesn't defend well against say, E. coli but can defend against bacteria in general.
• Does most of the actual fighting.
• Decides severity of an invasion too.
• Also changes the response depending on the pathogen.

Adaptive Immune System

• Specialzed super cells to complement Innate Immune System.
• Produces special cells, protiens to kill infected cells in case of viral infection.
• Isn't available at birth. Needs training and refining.
• Gets better with age and weaker after a certain age.
• They can be very specific.

Your Adaptive Immune System "knows" every possible intruder. Its name, what it had for breakfast, its favourite colour, its most intimate hopes and dreams. The Adaptive Immune System has an answer for every single microorganism that exists and will evolve in future.

Your Adaptive Immune System possesses the largest library in the known universe. It is able to remember everything about an enemy that showed up once.

Really hyped! for the next chapter!