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NOTE: THIS SYSTEM IS ALSO CALLED THE "IMMUNE SYSTEM"

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NOTE: THIS SYSTEM IS ALSO CALLED THE "IMMUNE SYSTEM"

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(Article) Kids Health--Immune System (teens)

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(Article) Kids Health--Immune System (teens)

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Whether you're stomping through the showers in your bare feet after gym class or touching the bathroom doorknob, you're being exposed to germs. Fortunately for most of us, the immune system is constantly on call to do battle with bugs that could put us out of commission.

What Is the Immune System?

The immune system is the body's defense against infections. The immune (pronounced: ih-MYOON) system attacks germs and helps keep us healthy.

What Are the Parts of the Immune System?

Many cells and organs work together to protect the body. White blood cells, also called leukocytes (pronounced: LOO-kuh-sytes), play an important role in the immune system.

Some types of white blood cells, called phagocytes (pronounced: FAH-guh-sytes), chew up invading organisms. Others, called lymphocytes (pronounced: LIM-fuh-sytes), help the body remember the invaders and destroy them.

One type of phagocyte is the neutrophil (pronounced: NOO-truh-fil), which fights bacteria. When someone might have bacterial infection, doctors can order a blood test to see if it caused the body to have lots of neutrophils. Other types of phagocytes do their own jobs to make sure that the body responds to invaders.

The two kinds of lymphocytes are B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes. Lymphocytes start out in the bone marrow and either stay there and mature into B cells, or go to the thymus gland to mature into T cells. B lymphocytes are like the body's military intelligence system - they find their targets and send defenses to lock onto them. T cells are like the soldiers - they destroy the invaders that the intelligence system finds.

How Does the Immune System Work?

When the body senses foreign substances (called antigens), the immune system works to recognize the antigens and get rid of them.

B lymphocytes are triggered to make antibodies (also called immunoglobulins). These proteins lock onto specific antigens. After they're made, antibodies usually stay in our bodies in case we have to fight the same germ again. That's why someone who gets sick with a disease, like chickenpox, usually won't get sick from it again.

This is also how immunizations (vaccines) prevent some diseases. An immunization introduces the body to an antigen in a way that doesn't make someone sick. But it does let the body make antibodies that will protect the person from future attack by the germ.

Although antibodies can recognize an antigen and lock onto it, they can't destroy it without help. That's the job of the T cells. They destroy antigens tagged by antibodies or cells that are infected or somehow changed. (Some T cells are actually called "killer cells.") T cells also help signal other cells (like phagocytes) to do their jobs.

Antibodies also can:

neutralize toxins (poisonous or damaging substances) produced by different organisms

activate a group of proteins called complement that are part of the immune system. Complement helps kill bacteria, viruses, or infected cells.

These specialized cells and parts of the immune system offer the body protection against disease. This protection is called immunity.

Humans have three types of immunity - innate, adaptive, and passive:

Innate immunity: Everyone is born with innate (or natural) immunity, a type of general protection. For example, the skin acts as a barrier to block germs from entering the body. And the immune system recognizes when some invaders are foreign and could be dangerous.

Adaptive immunity: Adaptive (or active) immunity develops throughout our lives. We develop adaptive immunity when we're exposed to diseases or when we're immunized against them with vaccines.

Passive immunity: Passive immunity is "borrowed" from another source and it lasts for a short time. For example, antibodies in a mother's breast milk give a baby temporary immunity to diseases the mother has been exposed to.

The immune system needs help from vaccines. Getting all your recommended vaccines on time can help keep you as healthy as possible. So can washing your hands well and often to avoid infection, eating right, getting plenty of sleep and exercise, and going for regular medical checkups.

Date reviewed: October 2019

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Whether you're stomping through the showers in your bare feet after gym class or touching the bathroom doorknob, you're being exposed to germs. Fortunately for most of us, the immune system is constantly on call to do battle with bugs that could put us out of commission.

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(Article) Kids Health--Spleen and Lymphatic System

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(Article) Kids Health--Spleen and Lymphatic System

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What Are the Spleen and Lymphatic System?

The spleen is located in the upper left part of the belly under the ribcage. It helps protect the body by clearing worn-out red blood cells and other foreign bodies (such as germs) from the bloodstream.

The spleen is part of the lymphatic system, which is an extensive drainage network. The lymphatic (lim-FAT-ik) system works to keep body fluid levels in balance and to defend the body against infections. It is made up of a network of lymphatic vessels that carry

lymph - a clear, watery fluid that contains proteins, salts, and other substances - throughout the body.

What Does the Spleen Do?

The spleen acts as a filter. It weeds out old and damaged cells and helps control the amount of blood and blood cells that circulate in the body.

The spleen also helps get rid of germs. It contains white blood cells called

lymphocytes and macrophages. These cells work to attack and destroy germs and remove them from the blood that passes through the spleen.

The body also uses the spleen as a place to store blood and iron for future use.

What Does the Lymphatic System Do?

One of the lymphatic system's major jobs is to collect extra lymph fluid from body tissues and return it to the blood. This is important because water, proteins, and other substances are always leaking out of tiny blood capillaries into the surrounding body tissues. If the lymphatic system didn't drain the excess fluid, the lymph fluid would build up in the body's tissues, making them swell.

The lymphatic system is a network of very small tubes (or vessels) that drain lymph fluid from all over the body. The major parts of the lymph tissue are located in the:

The heart, lungs, intestines, liver, and skin also contain lymphatic tissue.

The major lymphatic vessels are:

the thoracic duct: It begins near the lower part of the spine and collects lymph from the pelvis, abdomen, and lower chest. The thoracic duct runs up through the chest and empties into the blood through a large vein near the left side of the neck.

the right lymphatic duct: It collects lymph from the right side of the neck, chest, and arm, and empties into a large vein near the right side of the neck.

The lymphatic system also helps defend the body against germs (viruses, bacteria, and fungi) that can cause illnesses. Those germs are filtered out in the lymph nodes, small clumps of tissue along the network of lymph vessels. Inside the lymph nodes, lymphocytes called T-cells and B-cells help the body fight infection. B cells make antibodies - special proteins that stop infections from spreading by trapping disease-causing germs and destroying them.

Most of our lymph nodes are in clusters in the neck, armpit, and groin area. They're also found along the lymphatic pathways in the chest, abdomen, and pelvis, where they filter the blood.

When a person has an infection, germs collect in the lymph nodes. If the throat is infected, for example, the lymph nodes in the neck may swell. That's why doctors check for swollen lymph nodes (sometimes called swollen "glands") in the neck when someone has a sore throat. This is called lymphadenopathy.

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The spleen is located in the upper left part of the belly under the ribcage. It helps protect the body by clearing worn-out red blood cells and other foreign bodies (such as germs) from the bloodstream. The spleen is part of the lymphatic system, which is an extensive drainage network.

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(Image Search) Google--Immune System Vector Logo

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(Video Clip) Function of the Lymphatic System

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(Video Clip) Function of the Lymphatic System