Characteristics of Immune Responses is a part of the VCE Biology area of study ‘How do Cells Communicate?’. It is part of the subtopic ‘Responding to Antigens’.
The immune response is generally divided into innate and adaptive. The innate immune response has the ability to distinguish self from pathogens and occurs quickly. It includes physical barriers, such as skin, mucosal surfaces and cellular processes.
The adaptive immune response is characterised by memory, specificity and the ability to distinguish between self and non-self. This response can remember pathogens and develop better responses against recurring infections. This is important for vaccines manufacturing .
What are the Innate and Adaptive Defenses?
This video is a great introduction to how the immune defenses work.
This video looks at adaptive and innate immunity as well as humoral and cell-mediated.
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