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Inmunologia Basica y Clinica Vol II

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Introducción<br />

“Size does not define force, since the<br />

smallest microorganism can kill the largest<br />

animal”<br />

Since immemorial times, man has<br />

been linked to his environment, being<br />

exposed to a number of particles or<br />

microorganisms which are ready to attack<br />

your body now. If this would happen, there<br />

appears a magnificent shield provided as<br />

part of our nature, acting every time we<br />

face dangerous circumstances where an<br />

individual’s health is compromised, this<br />

is called immune system. It is acquired<br />

before birth and during the first years of<br />

life outside the womb where matures<br />

and consolidates; it is made up of organs,<br />

tissues, cells and molecules which work<br />

together to maintain biological integrity<br />

against aggression especially exogenous,<br />

otherwise people die because of tumors<br />

or infections caused by viruses, bacteria,<br />

protozoa, fungi and helminths.<br />

Immunology Overview as a science<br />

Immunology is a branch of biology and<br />

biomedical sciences that is specifically<br />

responsible for the molecular and biological<br />

mechanisms and processes used by our<br />

body in defense of exogenous agents; all<br />

of this is possible<br />

with the identification of endogenous<br />

substances, detection of foreign substances<br />

and subsequently its destruction.<br />

Defense mechanisms may be<br />

nonspecific or specific innate or acquired<br />

type, the first refers to the natural barriers<br />

they are classified in three types: the<br />

physical one, where involving the skin,<br />

mucosa and cilia, such as chemical skin<br />

pH, gastric fluid, sweat, lysozyme, tears,<br />

vaginal discharge, etc., and biological<br />

case of bacterial flora; the second one<br />

focuses on the given answer when the<br />

innate immunity fails, generating a specific<br />

response against to infectious agent and<br />

keeping its memory in order to prevent<br />

further reinfection. Within it, we have the<br />

cellular immunity where lymphocytes<br />

T are involved as well as the humoral<br />

immunity where the lymphocytes B are<br />

involved.<br />

Immunopathology is about the<br />

abnormal operation of any component<br />

of the system which causes multiple<br />

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