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Immune system
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===Acquired or adaptive immunity=== Adaptive immunity is so named because the body must first experience an initial infection for this type of immunity to form against that specific contagion. The first time the body experiences an infection is the worst because it does not yet know how to best eliminate the infiltrating substance. After initial exposure, however, the body has several mechanisms to remember and quickly and aggressively neutralize the pathogen. Many times this system does its job so well that a person may not even realize they are symptomatic or have an infection.<ref name="NBK279396" /> The body needs to identify a pathogen prior to eliminating it. There are several cells that the immune system uses to recognize pathogens. Dendritic cells are antigen-presenting cells that help begin this secondary immune response. Dendritic cells (Greek: dendron, meaning tree) received their name because of the arm-like branches that spread out and grab antigens released by infectious agents.<ref name="dendritic">{{Cite web | url = https://www.immunology.org/public-information/bitesized-immunology/cells/dendritic-cells | title = Dendritic Cells | website = British Society for Immunology|access-date=2019-02-27}}</ref> The dendritic cells place the antigens, like flags, onto their surface for [[T helper cell|helper T-cells]] to recognize. After palpating a dendritic cell, white blood cells call helper T-cells (also called CD4+ T-cells) which secrete lymphokines to direct other immune cells to target the infection. Helper T-cells also promote the production and release of proteins called antibodies.<ref name="NBK279397">{{Cite book | url =https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279397/ | title = The defense mechanisms of the adaptive immune system | last = National Center for Biotechnology Information|location=Cologne, Germany | date = 2016-08-04|publisher=Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care|language=en}}</ref>{{citation needed | date = 2021}} Antibodies clump around pathogens neutralizing their infectious capabilities, perforate the surface of pathogens encouraging its deterioration, and signal to other cells to engulf and destroy the invader. [[B cell|B-cells]] are produced in the bone marrow and are the antibody factories of the body. They make specific antibodies for the specific pathogen(s) that the body is currently fighting. Another type of T-cell, [[Cytotoxic T cell|killer (cytotoxic) T-cells]] also must first be presented with antigens by one of the bodyβs antigen-presenting cells for it to activate. Once given a target, killer T-cells directly destroy infectious and defective material. Similar to antibodies, they punch holes in the membranes of bacteria, and infected or malfunctioning cells.<ref name="dendritic" /> The last kinds of T-cells are memory and regulatory. Memory T-cells engulfs the material from the infected or defective cells and store that information in case of a future infection by the same pathogen, or on locating a similar defect. This allows the immune system to react faster because it already knows what is needed to respond to that specific pathogen or defect. [[Regulatory T cell]]s keep helper and killer T-cells' activity at higher levels only when they are necessary. These T-cells will reduce helper and killer T-cells and decrease their activity after the pathogen has been eliminated.<ref name="dendritic" />
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