Natural immunity is inherited. What types of immunity are there. Children's immunity: features of formation, signs and causes of weakened work

The body's main defense is immunity. There are several types of immunity, depending on the sign of the classification.

Concept

Immunity is the body's response to the action of foreign bodies - antigens. As antigens, the body considers any substances or microorganisms (viruses, bacteria) that have come from the external environment and are not involved in metabolic processes. Allergies, fever, painful symptoms may be an immune response.

Immunity is made up of specific organs (spleen, red bone marrow, thymus), which are responsible for the production and training of immune cells, as well as natural barriers - mucous membranes, skin.

Rice. 1. Bodies of immunity.

How does it work

The mechanism of action of immunity is always the same. In the blood of a person there are special immune cells - leukocytes, which, depending on the type, can act in different ways. Leukocytes in the process of life are trained to recognize and destroy antigens. In this they are well helped by vaccination.

Rice. 2. Different types of leukocytes.

The vaccine contains dead or inactive microorganisms. This is enough to provoke the action of leukocytes, but not cause disease. A person remains immune to pathogens, because When meeting with familiar microorganisms, leukocytes know what to do and what substances to excrete.

The main weapon of leukocytes is antibodies or immunoglobulins. They are distinguished by special groups of leukocytes - B-lymphocytes. These are receptor proteins that, by binding to an antigen, trigger an immune response in the body.

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Rice. 3. Antibodies.

Most often, killer lymphocytes (T-killers) provoke the self-destruction of foreign cells - apoptosis. This self-destruct program is built into any cell. The broken cell is absorbed and digested by phagocytes - one of the types of leukocytes.

Views

The classification is presented in the table of types of immunity.

Sign	Views	Description
Mode of occurrence	Congenital	It is inherited. Due to anatomy and physiology. Includes natural barriers - skin, mucous membranes, gastric juices, sneezing, coughing
	Acquired	Natural is formed when a disease is transferred (active) or when immunoglobulins are transferred to a child with mother's milk (passive)
		Artificial is formed after vaccination (active) or after the introduction of ready-made antibodies (passive)
Scene		The immune response occurs at the site of penetration of the antigen (an increase in white blood cells at the site of the scratch)
		Protection is provided to the entire body when antigen enters the blood (activation of different types of leukocytes, production of antibodies)
Antibody production	Cellular	Antibodies are not produced
	Humoral	Antibodies involved
Antigen type	Anti-infective	Antivirus - activated against viruses
		Antibacterial - aims to kill bacteria
		Antiprotozoal - destroys protozoa
		Antifungal - destroys fungi
	Non-infectious	Reproductive - arises in the conflict "mother-fetus", because the child contains foreign genes from the father
		Antineoplastic - targets malignant and obsolete cells
		Antitoxic - occurs when poisoning
		Transplant - is a response to organ transplants or blood transfusions

What have we learned?

Immunity is necessary for a person as a response to the impact of disease-causing and foreign particles. Immunity can be congenital and acquired. Depending on the antigen, certain white blood cells are activated, which secrete specific antibodies. Leukocyte training takes place in the thymus. The higher the immunity, the more actively and successfully the immune cells respond.

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What is human immunity, know not only doctors, but all people in the world. But the question: what kind of immunity is - an ordinary person is little interested, not suspecting that the types of immunity are different, and the health of not only a person, but also his subsequent generations can depend on the type of immune system.

Types of the immune system by nature and mode of origin

Human immunity is a multi-stage substance of numerous cells, which, like all living things, are somehow born. Depending on the mode of origin, it is divided into: congenital and acquired immunity. And, knowing the ways of their origin, you can initially predetermine how the immune system works, and what actions to take to help it.

Acquired

The birth of an acquired species occurs after a person meets with any disease, therefore it is also called specific.

This is how the acquired specific immunity of a person is born. When they meet again, the antigens do not have time to damage the body, since specific cells already exist in the body that are ready to give the microbe a response.

The main diseases of the acquired type:

• chickenpox (chickenpox);
• mumps, popularly referred to as mumps or mumps;
• scarlet fever;
• rubella;
• Infectious mononucleosis;
• jaundice (viral hepatitis);
• measles.

Acquired antibodies are not inherited by children, unlike other types of immune systems in origin.

Congenital

Innate immunity is present in the human body from the first seconds of life and therefore is also called natural, hereditary and constitutional. The natural immunity of the body to any infection is laid by nature at the genetic level, transmitted from generation to generation. In this natural property, the negative quality of the innate immune system is also traced: if an allergic or oncological predisposition is observed in the family, then this genetic defect is also inherited.

Differences between congenital and acquired types of the immune system:

• the congenital species recognizes only precisely defined antigens, and not the entire spectrum of possible viruses, the mass recognition of bacteria is included in the functions of the acquired;
• at the time of the introduction of the virus, innate immunity is ready for work, in contrast to acquired immunity, the antibodies of which appear only after 4-5 days;
• the congenital species copes with bacteria on its own, while the acquired one requires help from hereditary antibodies.

Hereditary immunity does not change over the years, unlike acquired immunity, which continues to form throughout life, depending on the formation of antibodies.

Artificial and natural types of acquired immunity

A specific type of immune system can be acquired naturally or artificially: through the introduction of weakened or completely dead microbes into the human body. The purpose of introducing a foreign antigen is simple: to force the immune system to produce specific antibodies to resist a given microbe. Artificial immunity, just like natural immunity, can be expressed in a passive and active form.

How natural immunity differs from artificial:

• artificial immunity begins to exist after the intervention of doctors, and the natural acquired immunity owes its birth to a virus that independently enters the body.
• Natural active immunity - antitoxic and antimicrobial - is developed by the body after any disease, and artificial active immunity is formed after the introduction of the vaccine into the body.
• Artificial passive immunity arises with the help of injected serum, and natural passive immunity - transovarial, placental and colostral - occurs when antibodies are transmitted to children from a parent.

The acquired active immunity is more stable in comparison with the passive one: the antibodies produced by the body itself can keep the defense against viruses all life, and the antibodies created by passive immunization - for several months.

Types of the immune system for the localization of action on the body

The structure of the immune system is subdivided into general and local immunity, the functions of which are interrelated. If the general view provides protection against foreign antigens of the internal environment, then the local one is the “gateway” of the general, standing up to protect the mucous membranes and skin.

Local defense mechanisms of immunity:

• Physical factors of innate immunity: "cilia" of the inner surface of the nasal sinuses, larynx, tonsils and bronchi, on which microbes accumulate, and go out with mucus when sneezing and coughing.
• Chemical factors: when bacteria come into contact with the mucous membrane, specific antibodies are formed - immunoglobulins: IgA, IgG, which can neutralize foreign microorganisms.

General reserve forces enter the arena of fighting antigens only if microbes manage to overcome the first local barrier. The main task of the local type is to provide local protection within the mucosa and tissue. The protective functions depend on the amount of accumulation of lymphoid tissue (B - lymphocytes), which is also responsible for the activity of various body responses.

Types of immunity by type of immune response:

• humoral - protection of the body in the extracellular space mainly by antibodies created by B - lymphocytes;
• the cellular (tissue) response involves effector cells: T - lymphocytes and macrophages - cells that absorb foreign microorganisms;
• phagocytic - the work of phagocytes (permanent or appearing after the emergence of a microbe).

These immune responses are also mechanisms of infectious immunity.

Types of the immune system according to the direction of their action

Depending on the focus on the antigen present in the body, infectious (antimicrobial) and non-infectious types of the immune system can form, the structure of which is clearly shown in the table.

Infectious immunity

Non-infectious immunity

Infectious immunity, depending on the duration of the immunological memory of its types, may differ and be:

• non-sterile - the memory has a transistor nature, and disappears immediately after the antigen is removed;
• sterile - specific antibodies are retained even after the pathogen is removed.

Sterile adaptive immunity in terms of memory retention can be short-term (3-4 weeks), long-term (2-3 decades) and lifelong, when antibodies protect all types and forms of immunity throughout a person's life.

Depending on the mechanisms that form the body's immunity to harmful factors, there are two main types of immunity - hereditary (congenital) and acquired.

Hereditary, or congenital, or species, or natural, or constitutional, immunity, which is inherent in humans (or animals), is inherited from generation to generation in the same way as other genetic traits.

To illustrate hereditary immunity, the following examples can be given. A person is not susceptible to such viral infectious diseases of animals as canine and cattle plague. Animals, in turn, are not susceptible to the chickenpox viral disease, infectious and serum hepatitis viruses.

There are various degrees of tension in hereditary immunity - from the absolute resistance of a living organism to any microorganism (which is extremely rare) to relative immunity, which can be overcome with the help of various influences.

Acquired... It can develop as a result of a previous infection or immunization (specific prophylaxis). Acquired immunity is not inherited (as opposed to congenital).

Distinguish between actively and passively acquired immunity.
Actively acquired immunity it is not established immediately, usually after 1-2 weeks, but it persists for quite a long time - for many years and even decades. This can be seen in the example of measles suffered by a child. After the flu, immunity also arises, but it does not last long - usually no more than 1 - 2 years. Doctors have long learned to obtain actively acquired immunity by vaccination with live or killed vaccines. Such immunity is called actively artificially acquired.
Passively acquired immunity occurs in the fetus due to the fact that the unborn child receives antibodies from the mother through the placenta. This is why babies remain immune to certain infections, such as measles, for a certain period of time. This type of immunity can also be created artificially - by introducing into the body immunoglobulins (animal proteins that are carriers of antibody activity) obtained from actively immunized animals (or humans).

Passively acquired immunity is established quickly - a few hours after the administration of immune serum or immunoglobulin and persists for a short time (usually within 3 to 4 weeks).

Hereditary immunity, as well as acquired, changes depending on age, and therefore it becomes necessary to increase the activity of immunity through various methods and measures (rational nutrition, sports or physical therapy, taking medicinal herbal infusions or decoctions, etc.).

The synchronous operation of two defense systems in one organism would inevitably lead to their mutual destruction. To exclude such a conflict during the period of intrauterine development, the resistance of the child's body is “turned off”.

Its tissues, like its own, protect the agents of the mother's body. And immunity is inherited only in the meaning of the ability of the descendant's organism to produce antibodies with the same shape and properties as those of its ancestors.

Is immunity passed from parent to child?

At birth, maternal protective bodies and proteins circulate in the baby's blood. But their lifespan does not exceed 2-3 months. After the death of this "inheritance", the body remains defenseless.

To work, any immunity requires "material" - specific pathogens and irritating factors. And with a limited ability to move and contact the outside world, a newborn can catch the first infection only from parents and household members.

Which one is transmitted and how?

To fill this temporary gap, the entire period of lactation of the baby continues to protect breast milk from threats. Through it, various types of immune proteins and bodies are transmitted from mother to child.

1. Immunoglobulins are proteins with a molecular structure that resembles a ball. There are 5 types of them:

• view A inspects the mucous membranes, digestive system and respiratory system. It is effective against viruses, bacteria, fungi and protozoa, but it is not able to memorize them "for the future" by typical DNA segments;
• D-type immunoglobulins are used in the production of lymphocytes - the main protective bodies of lymph (as opposed to blood leukocytes). Lymphocytes are formed, matured, and trained in the thymus, the thymus gland located behind the breastbone. They differ from leukocytes in a peculiar way of spreading in the body and in their ability to penetrate cell membranes (access to them is closed for leukocytes). D-immunoglobulins are focused on searching not for pathogens, but for any abnormalities in the structure or functioning of the cell. It is lymphocytic immunity and its shortcomings that one should "make claims" about the development of cancer;
• The E-type is most actively involved in the development of nonspecific immune reactions - allergies caused by the body's contact with irritants, against which the defense mechanisms are powerless. This happens with helminthic invasion and gonorrhea (a reaction to toxins released by the pathogen into the blood), malaria, frequent and close contact with any chemical substance;
• The G-type is one of the most active “creators” of long-term protection. These immunoglobulins are able to recognize already familiar pathogens by their signatures and remember new ones. Their excitement as a result of a new infection often leads to getting rid of old infections, including those that cannot be memorized;
• M-immunoglobulins are synthesized by lymphocytes when they first encounter a certain type of pathogen. They are interesting in their ability to remember it by specific features only after a few "meetings". But the resistance developed by them will "hold out" much longer than that given by class G immunoglobulins.

1. Interferons are the basis of the body's antiviral immunity, although up to a certain point they are also effective as a means of blocking bacteria. They are synthesized and released outside their inner space by cells of all kinds. Interferons can be found inside and on the surface of their membranes. They are saturated with tissue space, free blood flow, saliva, tears, earwax and secretions of the reproductive system. They are divided into 3 types - alpha, beta and gamma. The first two are of the greatest therapeutic value. They are effective against intractable infections such as hepatitis C, HIV, and the virus.
2. Lymphocytes are the aforementioned "inspectors" of intracellular structures, capable of recognizing and destroying infected, malformed and / or functioning cells. Lymphocytes are of 3 types:

• B-type develops "delayed" in time immunity due to M-immunoglobulins in their composition;
• T-lymphocytes can simultaneously stimulate or suppress the synthesis of interferons, as well as destroy defective cells;
• NK lymphocytes only destroy cells with developmental disabilities.

1. Macrophages are antibodies that are incapable of remembering pathogens, but they have the broadest view of the components that are harmful and beneficial to the body. Some of the macrophages are formed in the tissues themselves during the period of embryonic development and are activated during life, in turn. And some of them are synthesized and released into the bloodstream by the bone marrow. These bodies recognize and block any foreign fragments that have got into the blood or tissues - from "fragments" of decayed cells to those driven under wood chips, coal dust, not removed by the surgeon after injuring pellets and other objects to which other immune bodies do not react due to the lack of viral / bacterial component.

The inherited ability of the baby's body to gradually start and debug the synthesis of exactly the same as in the mother, lymphocytes, macrophages and interferons with immunoglobulins is called specific immunity.

And the "feeding" with ready-made and trained bodies / proteins with ends for him in 3-4 years, together with. By this time, his body is already producing a full "range" of protective agents inherent in adults, but they are not yet familiar with most pathogens.

Immunity that is not inherited

As contact with people, animals and objects expands, the baby gets sick more often, which can give parents a false impression of immunodeficiency.

In fact, his own defense is trained to deal with external threats and their memorization / recognition, forming a hereditary one to replace the one that has lost its power. Such experience is not transmitted from the parent organism to the child - only the ability to "acquire" one on occasion.

Does this always happen?

The circulatory system of the fetus and the mother is not the same thing. They are separated by a placental protective barrier called chorionic villi. They filter the mother's blood, taking only nutrients and oxygen from it, let some (not all) immune bodies into the circulation of the child's body.

Such a system is necessary from pathogens circulating in the mother's blood, avoiding the conflict of some components of the blood (Rh factor) and limiting the dangerous activity of certain bodies such as leukocytes. They provoke purulent fusion of the affected tissues, therefore they have limited access not only to the body of the unborn child, but also to organs like the brain or eyeballs.

Organs and tissues that are protected from the penetration of some or all of the immune agents are said to have immune privilege. The fetus in the womb is one of them, and this is necessary for its survival.

Plus, hereditary resistance is useless in a world where pathogens constantly mutate and learn to bypass existing protection schemes against them, including. The acquired immunity in such conditions better meets the living conditions of the offspring (and they usually differ from those of his ancestors).

Our health often depends on how correctly and responsibly we treat our body and lifestyle. Are we struggling with bad habits, are we learning to control our psychological state, or are we giving vent to emotions. It is these types of manifestations of our life that largely determine the state of our immunity.

Immunity - the body's ability to immunity and resistance to foreign substances of various origins. This complex defense system was created and changed simultaneously with the development of evolution. These changes continue now, as the environmental conditions are constantly changing, and hence the living conditions of existing organisms. Thanks to immunity, our body is capable of recognizing and destroying pathogens, foreign bodies, poisons and internal degenerated cells of the body.

The concept of immunity is determined by the general state of the body, which depends on the metabolic process, heredity and changes under the influence of the external environment.

Naturally, the body will be in good health if the immune system is strong. The types of human immunity by their origin are divided into congenital and acquired, natural and artificial.

Types of immunity

Scheme - classification of immunity

Congenital immunity is a genotypic trait of an organism that is inherited. The work of this type of immunity is provided by many factors at various levels: cellular and non-cellular (or humoral). In some cases, the natural defense function of the body can be reduced as a result of the improvement of foreign microorganisms. In this case, the body's natural immunity decreases. This usually occurs during stressful situations or during hypovitaminosis. If a foreign agent enters the bloodstream during a weakened state of the body, then the acquired immunity begins its work. That is, different types of immunity replace each other.

Acquired immunity is a phenotypic trait, resistance to foreign agents, which is formed after vaccination or an infectious disease transferred by the body. Therefore, it is worth having been ill with any disease, for example, smallpox, measles or chickenpox, and then special means of protection against these diseases are formed in the body. A person cannot get sick with them again.

Natural immunity can be either congenital or acquired after an infectious disease. Also, this immunity can be created with the help of the mother's antibodies, which come to the fetus during pregnancy, and then during breastfeeding to the baby. Artificial immunity, unlike natural immunity, is acquired by the body after vaccination or as a result of the introduction of a special substance - medicinal serum.

If the body has a long-term resistance to a repeated case of an infectious disease, then the immunity can be called permanent. With the body's immunity to diseases for some time, as a result of the administration of serum, the immunity is called temporary.

Provided that the body develops antibodies on its own - the immunity is active. If the body receives antibodies in a ready-made form (through the placenta, from medicinal serum or through breast milk), then they speak of passive immunity.

"Types of immunity" Table

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