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immunity (immune system)
Resistance to infection & disease in general (host defenses).
Mechanism of action:
1) physical & chemical barriers
- integrity of skin & mucous membranes
- sphincters
- epiglottis
- normal secretory & excretory flow
- endogenous microbial flora
- gastric acidity
2) inflammatory response
a) circulating phagocytes 2b) complement
c) other humoral mediators
- bradykinins
- fibrinolytic systems
- arachidonic acid cascade
3) reticuloendothelial system
- tissue phagocytes
4) immune response
- cellular immunity
- humoral immunity
- innate immunity
- adaptive immunity
* host defenses
Related
age-associated changes in immunity; immunosenescence
autoimmune disease
immunodeficiency; immunodeficiency syndrome
immunology
infection (infectious disease)
Specific
adaptive immunity
cellular immunity
humoral immunity
innate immunity
General
organ system
References
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 13th ed.
Isselbacher et al (eds), McGraw-Hill Inc. NY, 1994, pg 495
- National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Overview of the Immune System
https://www.niaid.nih.gov/research/immune-system-overview