Table of Contents
What prevents pathogens from entering the body?
First line of defence is your skin. Skin forms a waterproof barrier that prevents pathogens from entering the body. Your body cavities, such as your nose and mouth, are lined with mucous membranes. Mucous membranes produce sticky mucus which can trap bacteria and other pathogens.
How does mucus and cilia protect the body from pathogens?
Mucus and ciliated cells The ciliated cells waft their hairs in a motion like a Mexican wave at a football match and move mucus and pathogens upwards towards the throat where it is swallowed into your stomach . Other cells called goblet cells create the mucus in order to trap pathogens.
How do epithelial cells defend the body against pathogens?
The epithelial cells secrete a moist, sticky substance called mucus, which covers and protects the more fragile cell layers beneath it and traps debris and particulate matter, including microbes. Mucus secretions also contain antimicrobial peptides.
How does trachea protect the body?
The trachea serves as passage for air, moistens and warms it while it passes into the lungs, and protects the respiratory surface from an accumulation of foreign particles. The trachea is lined with a moist mucous-membrane layer composed of cells containing small hairlike projections called cilia.
What are four barriers to pathogens entering the body?
Chemical barriers destroy pathogens on the outer body surface, at body openings, and on inner body linings. Sweat, mucus, tears, and saliva all contain enzymes that kill pathogens. Urine is too acidic for many pathogens, and semen contains zinc, which most pathogens cannot tolerate.
What are the four ways pathogens can enter the body?
Microorganisms capable of causing disease—pathogens—usually enter our bodies through the mouth, eyes, nose, or urogenital openings, or through wounds or bites that breach the skin barrier. Organisms can spread—or be transmitted—by several routes.
What is the role of the cilia and mucus?
The bronchus in the lungs are lined with hair-like projections called cilia that move microbes and debris up and out of the airways. Scattered throughout the cilia are goblet cells that secrete mucus which helps protect the lining of the bronchus and trap microorganisms.
What is the function of cilia?
The function of cilia is to move water relative to the cell in a regular movement of the cilia. This process can either result in the cell moving through the water, typical for many single-celled organisms, or in moving water and its contents across the surface of the cell.
What happens when a pathogen enters the body?
After a pathogen enters the body, infected cells are identified and destroyed by natural killer (NK) cells, which are a type of lymphocyte that can kill cells infected with viruses or tumor cells (abnormal cells that uncontrollably divide and invade other tissue).
Are epithelial cells the immune system?
It should be clear from this brief review that several lines of evidence now support the concept that epithelial cells are primary innate immune effector cells that also regulate the adaptive immune responses in the airways at the level of DCs, T cells, and B cells.
What is the main function of trachea?
The trachea, commonly called the windpipe, is the main airway to the lungs. It divides into the right and left bronchi at the level of the fifth thoracic vertebra, channeling air to the right or left lung. The hyaline cartilage in the tracheal wall provides support and keeps the trachea from collapsing.
What are the things you can do to help your lungs from invaders?
Here are some ways to keep your lungs healthy.
- Don’t Smoke.
- Avoid Exposure to Indoor Pollutants That Can Damage Your Lungs.
- Minimize Exposure to Outdoor Air Pollution.
- Prevent Infection.
- Get Regular Check-ups.
- Exercise.