infektsioonivastusest

Infektsioonivastus refers to the complex biological processes that occur within an organism when it is exposed to infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. This response is a coordinated effort involving various cells, tissues, and molecules to detect, eliminate, and remember the pathogen, thereby preventing or mitigating disease.

The initial phase of the infection response is often innate immunity. This is a rapid, non-specific defense mechanism present from birth. It involves physical barriers like the skin and mucous membranes, as well as cellular components like phagocytes (e.g., macrophages and neutrophils) that engulf and destroy pathogens. Chemical mediators such as interferons and complement proteins also play a crucial role in inhibiting pathogen replication and recruiting immune cells to the site of infection.

Following or in parallel with the innate response, adaptive immunity is activated. This is a slower but highly specific and long-lasting defense system that learns to recognize and target particular pathogens. Key players in adaptive immunity are lymphocytes, specifically T cells and B cells. B cells produce antibodies that neutralize pathogens or mark them for destruction. T cells have various functions, including directly killing infected cells (cytotoxic T cells) or helping to coordinate the immune response (helper T cells).

A critical aspect of adaptive immunity is immunological memory, where the body "remembers" a specific pathogen after an initial encounter. This allows for a much faster and more effective response upon subsequent exposures to the same pathogen, often preventing illness altogether. Understanding the infection response is fundamental to developing vaccines and therapeutic interventions for infectious diseases.