trubisz at cs.sunysb.edu wrote in message news:<20030308160344.3257.qmail at ww02.hostica.com>...
> I'm trying to find the answer to a simple question regarding innate immunity and smallpox.
>> Upon infection with smallpox, what, if anything besides the release of IgM, does the innate immune system do to combat the infection?
>> Thanks,
> Joe
>>http://biowww.net/mynews/tree.php?group_name=bionet_immunology&begin=0
Hello Joe.
First of all the re´lease of antibodies is not a part of the innate
immune system. That is a part of the aquired immuno system and that is
a little bit slower then the inate system but much more good at
defence us.
So what is our inate immune system? Well to start we have the cells
that can destroy the intruder, macrophags and neutrophils that "eat",
phagocytos, the intruder, and second we have something that is called
the complement, and that is a set of different proteins that normaly
doesn't form complex but when the first of this proteins attatch to an
intruder they form complex that finaly make a hole in the intruders
outer membran so that it is killed (lysis) exept the direct killing
the complement make it easier för the phagocytes to get hold of and
"eat the virus and finally the complement trigger mastcells and
basophils to start a inflammatory reaction.
But all of these defences can only take place when the virus is
outside the bodies cells, once they are inside we have to relay on a
cell called NK (natural killer) who can recognize cells that doesnt
have a molecul that is called MHC1 who is showing what is made in the
cells to the lymphocytes. Becouse a virus doesn't want the cell to
show that it is inside it often sto the MHC from getting to the cells
surface, but then the NK-cells can recognize that it is something
wrong with that cell.
Part of our innate system is also the skin (barrier) and the mucosa
that line the inner surfaces of our body and is able to trap forign
bodys.
Mikael.
So what does
