White Blood Cells: B-cells and T-cells

White Blood Cells: B-cells and T-cells
The “first defenders” in immune system are white blood cells.

Just as an army has soldiers with different jobs, human body has different types of white blood cells to defends against invaders.

All white blood cells are known as leukocytes.

These travel swiftly through human body to challenger intruding pathogens.

Two kinds of white blood cells, or leukocytes, are called lymphocytes.

These are either B-cells or T cells; each one has a special job.

B-cells produce protective proteins called antibodies. These antibodies attach themselves to certain substance on pathogens called antigens and mark them so that other cells will destroy them later.

Antibodies also block the flu virus form moving form one cell to another.

This limits the spread of infection within the body. B cells can produce up to 10 million copies of the needed antibody in one hour.

The job of T-cells is to coordinate the attack on pathogens. T-cells do this by giving instructions to other immune cells on when and how to attack.

These immune cells then produce different kinds of molecules that carry information and instructions from one group of immune cells to another.

These messenger molecules tell other cells when to change their behaviors and coordinate the immune response.

Some special B-cells and T0cells also have amazing memories and remember an old infection for a long time.

These cells are like soldiers facing an enemy they have fought before. They know the enemy’s old tricks and weapon and how to fight them. The T-cells quickly launch an attack, using effective antibodies that worked in the past.
White Blood Cells: B-cells and T-cells