Immune system

Definition

The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites, as well as cancer cells and foreign objects, such as wood splinters—distinguishing them from the organism's own healthy tissue. Many species have two major subsystems of the immune system. The innate immune system provides a preconfigured response to broad groups of situations and stimuli. The adaptive immune system provides a tailored response to each stimulus by learning to recognize molecules it has previously encountered. Both use molecules and cells to perform their functions.

Related concepts

AIDS Academic Press Acid Active immunization Acupuncture Adaptive immune system Adaptive immunity Adrenal gland Adverse effect Affinity maturation Agnatha Alcohol abuse Allergen Allergy Alloimmunity Allotype (immunology)Alternative medicine Amino acid Amphibian Anal cancer Anaphylaxis Anatomical terminology Androgen Animal Anti-inflammatory Antibody Antigen Antigen-antibody reaction Antigen-presenting cell Antigen presentation Antigen processing Antigenic variation Antimicrobial peptides Antiseptic Antiviral drug Apoptosis Appendix (anatomy)Archaea Artery Arthur M. Silverstein Asthma Autoantibody Autoimmune disease Autoimmune diseases Autoimmune disorder Autoimmunity Axolotl Azathioprine B-cell receptor B cell Bacillus anthracis Bacteria Bacteriophage Basophil Basophil granulocyte Biliary tract Biochemical cascade Biofilm Bioinformatics Biological life cycle Biological systems Biological tissue Blood Blood plasma Blood vessel Bone Bone marrow Breast Breast milk Bronchus Burkholderia cenocepacia C-type lectin CD154 CD16 CD19 CD1d receptor CD22 CD23 CD32 CD3D CD3G CD3 (immunology)CD3 zeta CD4 CD64 (biology)CD79 CD79A CD79B CD8 CD81 CD8 alpha CD8 beta CRISPR Cancer Cancer immunology Cancer immunotherapy Carbohydrate Carcinogenesis Carpal bones Cartilage Cartilaginous joint Catalysis Catecholamine Cell-mediated immunity Cell differentiation Cell division Cell growth Cell membrane Cell signaling Cell surface receptor Center for Inquiry Central obesity Central tolerance Cephalochordate Cervical cancer Charles Janeway Chemokine Chemotaxis Chemotherapy Chiropractic Chronic granulomatous disease Circadian rhythm Circulatory system Clavicle Clonal anergy Clonal deletion Clonal selection Co-receptor Co-stimulation Colostrum Commensalism Common lymphoid progenitor Complement membrane attack complex Complement receptor 2 Complement system Conformational epitope Connective tissue Constantly dividing cells Contact dermatitis Cords of Billroth Cortisol Critical Reviews in Immunology Cross-reactivity Cyclosporin Cystic fibrosis Cytokine Cytokine receptor Cytokines Cytolysin Cytotoxic T cell Cytotoxicity César Milstein Dalton (unit)Damage-associated molecular patterns Defensin Dendrite Dendritic cell Deuterostome Developed country Developing country Dexamethasone Diabetes mellitus type 1 Diseases Drosophila melanogaster Ear Echinoderm Eggshell Eicosanoid Elie Metchnikoff Embryogenesis Endocrine system Endothelial cell Enzyme Eosinophil Eosinophil granulocyte Epinephrine Epithelium Epitope Esophagus Eukaryote Exoskeleton FCAR Fc receptor Fcα/μR FcεRI Female reproductive system Female sex hormones Femur Fetus Fever Fibrous joint Fibula Foodborne illness Foundational Model of Anatomy Gamma/delta T cells Gamma delta T cell Gastric acid Gastrointestinal tract Gene Genetic disease Genetic disorder Genitourinary system Georges J. F. Köhler Germ theory of disease Germinal center Glucocorticoid Glymphatic system Gnathostomata Granulocyte Granulysin Growth factor Growth hormone Growth hormone 1 Gut-associated lymphoid tissue Gut flora HIV Haematopoietic system Hagfish Hapten Harriet Hall Hashimoto's thyroiditis Hassall's corpuscles Heart Hematopoietic stem cell Hemichordate High endothelial venules History of immunology Homeopathy Hormone Human anus Human body Human brain Human digestive system Human eye Human leukocyte antigen Human mouth Human musculoskeletal system Human nose Human papillomavirus Human penis Human reproductive system Human skeleton Human skin Human tooth Humerus Humoral immune response Humoral immunity Hydrophile Hydrophobe Hyperglycemia Hypersensitive response Hypersensitivity IFN-gamma Idiotype Immune-mediated inflammatory diseases Immune complex Immune network theory Immune privilege Immune receptor Immune system contribution to regeneration Immune tolerance Immune tolerance in pregnancy Immunity (medical)Immunization Immunodeficiency Immunogen Immunogenetics Immunogenicity Immunoglobulin Immunoglobulin A Immunoglobulin E Immunoglobulin G Immunoglobulin M Immunoglobulin class switching Immunoglobulin superfamily Immunoinformatics Immunologic adjuvant Immunological memory Immunology Immunomodulators Immunoproteomics Immunosenescence Immunostimulant Immunostimulator Immunosuppressive Immunosuppressive drug Immunosuppressive drugs Immunotherapy Infection Infectious disease Inflammasome Inflammation Innate immune system Innate immunity Innate lymphoid cell Institute of Medicine Insult (medical)Integumentary system Interferon Interleukin Interleukin-1 Interleukin-12 Intestine Intracellular Intravenous immunoglobulin Invertebrate Iodine Ion Irritation Isotype (immunology)Jawed vertebrate Jawed vertebrates Joint Junctional diversity KIR2DL1 KIR2DL2 KIR2DL3 KIR2DL4 KIR2DL5A KIR2DL5B KIR2DS1 KIR2DS2 KIR2DS3 KIR2DS4 KIR2DS5 KIR3DL1 KIR3DL2 KIR3DL3 KIR3DS1 Kidney Killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor Killer T cells Koch's postulates LILRA1 LILRA2 LILRA3 LILRA4 LILRA5 LILRA6 LILRB1 LILRB2 LILRB3 LILRB4 LILRB5 Lamprey Large intestine Larynx Lck Left shift (medicine)Leishmania Leishmaniasis Leptin Leucine-rich repeat Leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptors Leukocytes Leukotriene Ligand Linear epitope Lingual tonsils Lip List of human cell types Liver Louis Pasteur Lung Lupus erythematosus Lymph node Lymphatic system Lymphatic vessel Lymphocyte Lymphokine Lymphopoiesis Lysis Lysosome Lysozyme MHC class I MHC class II Machine learning Macrophage Major histocompatibility complex Malaria Male reproductive system Malnutrition Mammal Mammary gland Mandible Mantle zone Marginal zone Mast cell Medical Subject Headings Medicine Melanocyte Melanoma Menarche Metacarpal bones Metastasis Metatarsal bones Methotrexate Miasma theory of disease Microantibody Microbe Microorganism Mimotope Molecule Monoclonal antibody Monocyte Mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue Mucous membrane Mucus Muhammad ibn Zakariya al-Razi Muscle Muscular system Mutation Mycobacterium tuberculosis Myeloid Myogenesis NFIL3 NOD-like receptor National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Natural killer T cell Natural killer cell Natural killer cells Neonatal Fc receptor Nerve Nervous system Nervous tissue Neuroimmune system Neuron Neutralizing antibodies Neutrophil Neutrophilia Neutrophils Niels Kaj Jerne Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine Non-cellular life Non-peptidic antigen Non-rapid eye movement sleep Norepinephrine Nutrient Obesity Old age Oncogene Oncogenic Opsonin Organ (biology)Organ transplant Organism Original antigenic sin Oropharynx Ossicles Osteichthyes Osteoporosis Ovary Oxidative stress PH Paclitaxel Palatine tonsil Pancreas Pancreatic islets Parasitism Parathyroid gland Paratope Passive immunization Patella Pathogen Pathogen-associated molecular patterns Pathogenesis Pathogens Pattern recognition receptor Pattern recognition receptors Paul Ehrlich Pelvis Penis cancer Peptide Peptostreptococcus Perforin Periarteriolar lymphoid sheaths Peripheral tolerance Peyer's patch Phagocyte Phagocytosis Phagolysosome Phagosome Phalanx bone Pharyngeal tonsil Pharynx Phospholipase A2 Pierre Louis Maupertuis Pineal gland Pituitary gland Placenta Plague of Athens Plant cuticle Plant disease resistance Plasma cells Plasmodium Platelet Polyclonal B cell response Polyclonal antibodies Polyclonal response Polymeric immunoglobulin receptor Positive feedback Primary immunodeficiency Primary lymphoid organs Prokaryote Prolactin Prostaglandin Prostate Protein Protein biosynthesis Proteolysis Proteomics Protist Pseudomonas aeruginosa Puberty Public domain RIG-I-like receptor RNA interference Radical (chemistry)Radius (bone)Rapid eye movement sleep Recombination activating gene Rectum Red blood cell Red pulp Regeneration (biology)Regulatory T cell Regulatory T cells Respiratory burst Respiratory system Respiratory tract Restriction modification system Rheumatoid arthritis Rib Ribonuclease Robert Koch Romanowsky stain Saliva Salivary gland Salmonella Scanning electron microscope Scrotum Secondary lymphoid organs Secretion Self-protein Semen Seminal vesicle Sensory system Severe combined immunodeficiency Sherwood Gorbach Side-chain theory Signal transduction Skeptical Inquirer Skin Skull Sleep deprivation Slow-wave sleep Small intestine Smallpox Somatic hypermutation Somatic nervous system Specific immunity Spinal cord Spleen Splenic hilum Splinter Staphylococcus aureus Sternum Stomach Streptococcus Subcutaneous tissue Superantigen Synovial joint Systemic acquired resistance Systemic lupus erythematosus T-cell depletion T-cell receptor T-cell surface glycoprotein CD3 epsilon chain TCR zeta TGF beta TNF-alpha TRA@TRB@TRD@TRG@T cell T helper cell Tarsus (skeleton)Tears Tendon Testicle Testosterone Th1 cell Thoracic diaphragm Thucydides Thymus Thyroid Tibia Tissue (biology)Toll-like receptor Tongue Tonsil Tonsillar crypts Toxin Trabeculae of spleen Trabecular arteries Trabecular veins Trachea Training set Transmembrane protein Transplant rejection Trypanosoma brucei Tubal tonsil Tumor Tumor antigen Tumor immunology Tumor necrosis factor-α Tumor necrosis factor alpha Type III secretion system Type II secretion system Tyrosinase Ulna Ureter Urethra Urinary bladder Urinary system Urine Urochordate Uterus V(D)J recombination Vaccination Vaccine Vagina Vaginal cancer Variable lymphocyte receptor Vascular permeability Vasodilation Vasodilator Vein Vertebral column Vertebrate Vertebrates Vesicle (biology)Viral envelope Virus Virus replication Vitamin D Vulva Vulva cancer Waldeyer's tonsillar ring Walter Reed White blood cell White pulp World Health Organization Yellow fever Zeta chain Zinc Β-adrenergic receptor

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