Biology / Unit 13 Bio 3261 short lesson, about 20 seconds
Phagocytes: Neutrophils and Macrophages
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The idea
Phagocytic leukocytes, chiefly neutrophils and macrophages, engulf and digest pathogens directly once a barrier is breached, forming the innate response's first internal line of defense.
In practice
Macrophages also release signaling molecules that recruit additional immune cells to an infection site.
Where people slip
Phagocytes act nonspecifically against pathogens generally, unlike the antigen-specific cells covered later in this chapter's adaptive-immunity section.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
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