Immunity (medical)

Immunity (Latin immūnitās for, freedom from something ' in relation to health " free of disease ", " immunis " as adj for " proof against / free of" ) is the insensitivity or unresponsiveness of the organism against external attacks and the ability of the organism to eliminate certain pathogens without symptoms.

Physiological basis

Whether the contact with a pathogenic microorganism or molecular complexes leads to a disease or not depends not only on the massiveness and virulence of the infection on the protective forces of the organism.

The first line of defense is the skin or the mucous membrane, which is particularly vulnerable in the infant. Their protection is increased by the mechanical and chemical effects of secretions.

In a protective effect by antibiotic may occur on the bacterial flora of an organism to an overgrowth of resistant pathogens by the inhibitory or killing effect. Be suppressed by the antibiotics certain bacteria, for example, so others can as resistant staphylococci or fungi proliferate unchecked and become pathogenic.

Has an invasion of pathogens occurred, so the further course depends on the immunity of the organism. A distinction is an inherited immunity nonspecific and specific type and an acquired immunity. The inherited may be permanent, so the complete immunity of humans against certain animal diseases, or even temporarily, such as the immunity of the newborn against scarlet fever.

The individual infectious diseases immunize very different, some produce a lifelong immunity, such as the measles, while others, such as scarlet fever give a good, but not quite reliable protection, can occur which is why repeated illnesses. Although dengue fever occur protective antibodies against the infecting subtype, they act with a renewed infection by dengue virus infection of the three other subtypes, however reinforcing and increase the pathogenicity.

Certain acute infectious diseases, such as measles, diphtheria, scarlet fever, inter alia, also contagious childhood diseases are called because children fall ill more often than adults it.

Immunity species

• The anti-infective immunity

• Antitoxic immunity

• Non-specific immunity

• Adaptive Immunity

• Innate Immunity

• Natural immunity

• Para immunity

• Premunity

• Cross-immunity

• Humoral immunity

• Cellular immunity