Re: Semester 1 Chatter Thread
how exciting
Damn you invertebrates! This is the most boring essay yet!
Invertebrates require an immune system that can recognise cells of the invertebrate, or the “self”, in addition to being able to recognise cells that are not part of the invertebrate, called the “non-self”. The immune system of invertebrates functions to keep the organism healthy by destroying malfunctioning cells and pathogens. The immune system of the invertebrates is called the innate immune system, and consists of largely non-specific immune responses that are unable to distinguish one invader from another, nor is the system able to remember cellular invaders.
There are two immune systems, with the invertebrate immune system named the innate immune system. It is characterised by non-specific responses that are unable to recall previous invasions of the body, previous malfunctions of the invertebrate itself, and constant activity. The other type of immune system exists and is named the acquired immune system, and differs in that it has memory and can remember past events (Campbell, Reece & Meyer, 2006, pp. 888-889). The acquired immune system first appeared in jawed fishes (Suckale, Sim & Dodds, 2005, p. 177), and despite infrequent evidence to the contrary, it is widespread belief that invertebrates have only an innate immune system (Rowley & Powell, 2007, p. 7209).
ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZ
