Immune

You wake up with a headache and a sore throat and are getting ready for school. While you are waking up or brushing your teeth, deep in your body, there is a war raging on. The war is between your cells and group A Streptococcus or other viruses. This war is a very gruesome war. The immune system is very strategic in battle.

First is your Innate immune system. You were born with this immune system. It protects your weak organs from viruses in early life. It also is helpful on the battlefield. The next bit is your Adaptive immune system. It is developed while you grow. Here is the first line of defense.

First of all the barrier-like cells is your skin cells. It helps prevent any virus from coming in. Well unless there is a cut. Let’s say you got cut by a rusty nail. The part would start bulging and bleeding because your blood is trying to heal the cut. Well while the red blood cells are trying to heal your outside cut. Little sneaky germs are coming in. These sneaky germs adapt and camouflage by turning the same color as the red blood cells so the white blood cells won’t find them. But some couldn’t camouflage fast enough and got eaten by the white blood cells.

You might be asking, how do they camouflage? Do they have eyes to see? No, they don’t have any eyes at all. But they have a way. By using protein. Using protein will help them blend in and camouflage by recognizing their surroundings. But here is the problem. They can’t hide forever. You see, your immune system has little receptors on its side that make it able to detect different proteins. While the bacteria look the same and it is hard to see the difference, they don’t have the exact same bit of protein. A few bits are still bacteria protein. So the immune system can track them down and kill them.

Even though you might just drink some hot water and continue your day. Deep in your body is a huge war between two enemies.