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White blood cells are part of our body's immune system and help to defend our body against pathogens.
Let's look at how white blood cells fight diseases!
Phagocyte
- Phagocytes are a type of white blood cells. Around 70% of white blood cells are phagocytes.
- When pathogens such as bacteria enter our body, phagocytes engulf and digest the pathogen. This process is called phagocytosis.
- Phagocytes can engulf and digest any type of pathogen, so it is non-specific.
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Lymphocyte
- Lymphocytes are another type of white blood cells. Around 25% of white blood cells are lymphocytes.
- Lymphocytes produce proteins called antibodies, which play a very important role in the immune system.
- Antibodies can recognize and bind to specific antigens.
- Antigens are substances found on the surface of cells, including pathogens.
- When foreign antigens enter our body, specific antibodies will recognize them and bind to them.
- Antibodies can help neutralize and inactive foreign substances and pathogens.
- It also becomes easier for phagocytes to spot and engulf pathogens when antibodies bind to antigens.
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Sometimes, we get vaccinations to prevent ourselves from getting sick from certain diseases. Do you know how vaccination works? 😲
Vaccination
- To make ourselves immune to certain diseases, we inject vaccines.
- Vaccines contain inactivated pathogens. Since the pathogens are inactivated, they will not cause any serious symptoms even when they enter our body.
- The pathogens, when they enter our body, will stimulate lymphocytes to produce antibodies that can specifically bind to the antigens on the cell surface of the pathogens.
- Some of the lymphocytes will develop into memory cells.
- If the same pathogen enters our body later, these memory cells will produce antibodies much faster and at a larger quantity so that the pathogen can be destroyed quickly.
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