Four Specifications of Acquired Immunity
- Specificity: Adaptive immunity can differentiate between different types of pathogens, which one is harmful or harmless.
- Diversity: It can detect a variety of pathogens, from simple bacteria to complicated viruses.
- Distinguish between self and non-self: It is an ability to distinguish between own body cells and foreign, harmful pathogens.
- Memory: Adaptive immunity keeps a memory of all the pathogens it encounters throughout life. If that bacteria attack again, then the adaptive immune system has that memory to fight against them with the same antibodies generated at the first encounter.
Cells Involved in Acquired Immunity
On a broad basis, two types of cells are involved in acquired immunity:
S.No. |
B-cells |
T-cells |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | They originate as well as develop in the bone marrow | They originate in the bone marrow and develop in the thymus |
| 2. | They get activated after encountering a foreign pathogen | They get activated upon getting signals from B-cells and other innate immune cells. |
| 3. | They differentiate into plasma cells (produce antibodies) and memory cells | They differentiate into T-helper cells and T-cytotoxic cells. |
Innate And Acquired Immunity
The immune system fights against germs and foreign substances on the skin, in the body’s tissues, and in bodily fluids such as blood. The overall ability of the host to fight the disease-causing organisms conferred by the immune system is called Immunity. The immune system can be broadly categorized into two types, the innate (Non-specific) immune system and the acquired (specialized) immune system. These two systems work closely together and take on different tasks.