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| Immune Reactions Fight Off Disease |
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Immune reactions is the bodies defense system that helps fight off unwanted viruses and organisms from causing infection. The immune system has a number of different layers of defense with each one having an increased specificity. It uses an ordered system of biological structures and processes within an organism to fight against disease. The immune reactions identify and kill pathogens and tumour cells. It has the ability to seek out and destroy any types of parasitic worms and viruses, but these immune reactions need to be able to determine whether it is a healthy cell or tissue. On people with any type of immune diseases, the immune reactions that take place actually have the bodies own immune system fighting with itself. The pathogens can be very difficult to locate because they are always changing and thereby leading to the successful infection of their hosts.
Over the course of evolution, a number of mechanisms have evolved that recognize and neutralize pathogens within the immune system. These immune reactions can be found even in the simplest unicellular organisms. These organisms have enzymes that fight against viral infections. Other living things such as plants, reptiles, insects and fish also contain these immune reaction mechanisms. Some of these mechanisms can include antimicrobial peptides called defensins, phgocytosis and the complement system. Of all living things, humans have the most sophisticated immune reactions. These immune reactions in vertebrates are made up of numerous types of proteins, cells, organs and tissues. They tend to run on a very complicated network. As more evolution takes places, these immune reactions adapt to be able to find specific pathogens more easily.
Some of the disorders with the immune system and immune reactions can end in disease. Immunodeficiency takes place when the immune system is not as active as normal, which can lead to life threatening infections on a repetitive basis. The cause of immunodeficiency can be from a genetic disease, or it can be the result of pharmaceuticals or infection. One common example would be the retrovirus HIV which is responsible for the cause of AID (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
When the immune system and immune reactions are hyperactive, it starts to attack normal tissues and cells as if they were unwanted organisms. These are called autoimmune diseases with some common types being, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus type 1, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and lupus erythematosus. The study of the immune systems and immune reactions are known as Immunology. This is an important part in helping to fight disease and provide for healthier living conditions.
Inflammation is one of the first signs of immune reactions that take place when the system is trying to fight off an infection. Inflammation will show itself through redness and swelling and is caused by an increased blood flow into the tissue. The immune reaction is produced by eicosanoids and cytokines that get released by the infected or injured cells. Cytokines are wide number of substances that are released by the infected cell that are able to carry signals to other sells. Eicosanoids are signaling molecules that are produced by oxygenation of twenty carbon essential fatty acids. They are vital to many control features of the body and the immune reactions. |
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