Immune Response and Industrial Applications
Your body has an amazing defence system that remembers every pathogen diseaseโcausingmicroorganism it encounters. When harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, or protoctists invade, your immune system springs into action with a coordinated response.
Lymphocytes are your body's special forces - they produce antibodies specific to each pathogen's antigens (surface proteins). These antibodies stick pathogens together and mark them for destruction, whilst antitoxins neutralise any toxins produced. Phagocytes then engulf and digest the invaders through phagocytosis, changing shape to surround pathogens in vacuoles.
Vaccines contain weakened or dead pathogens that trigger your immune system to produce antibodies and memory cells without making you ill. This creates immunity - if you encounter the real pathogen later, your secondary immune response is much faster than the primary response.
Industrial fermenters use controlled conditions to grow useful microorganisms on a massive scale. Stirring paddles keep everything mixed, whilst temperature and pH probes maintain optimal conditions for maximum productivity.
Key Point: Your immune system's memory cells are why you rarely get the same illness twice - they remember how to fight specific pathogens.