Definition
The most important function of the immune system is to defend the organism against infectious agents and to protect it from disease. The human immune system is armed with a broad repertoire of mechanisms for the detection, recognition, neutralization, and elimination of a large spectrum of foreign bodies. Immune responses must precisely discriminate between “self” antigens (from normal tissues and beneficial microbiota) and “pathogen” antigens (from invading microorganisms or neoplastic tissues) in order to destroy or control only the latter.
Overview of the Human Immune System: Innate and Adaptive Immune Responses
The human immune system exploits many powerful effector mechanisms that are able to recognize and destroy or otherwise neutralize a wide range of pathogens such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses, as well as malignant cells, but also...
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Müller, L., Di Benedetto, S., Pawelec, G. (2021). Human Immune System in Aging. In: Gu, D., Dupre, M.E. (eds) Encyclopedia of Gerontology and Population Aging. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-22009-9_68
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