IMMUNOLOGY

OVERVIEW OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

THE GOOD BAD AND UGLY OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
What function does mucus play in the immune system?
A
traps foreign particles from entering the body
B
moistens food
C
produces WBCs
D
acts as a lubricant
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -The mucus layer provides an essential first host barrier to inhaled pathogens that can prevent pathogen invasion and subsequent infection.

Detailed explanation-2: -Your trachea is made of thick rings of cartilage. A substance called mucosa lines this cartilage. Mucosa produces mucus, which traps dust, allergens or other particles to keep them from traveling to your lungs.

Detailed explanation-3: -It serves as a lubricant to keep tissues from drying out. It’s also a line of defense. “Mucus is very important for filtering out materials that you breathe in through your nose, such as dust and allergens and microorganisms, ‘’ says Dr. Andrew Lane, an ear, nose, and throat expert at Johns Hopkins University.

Detailed explanation-4: -The mucus layer traps pathogens (potentially infectious microorganisms) and other particles, preventing them from reaching the lungs. Cilia beat more than 1, 000 times a minute, moving the mucus that lines the trachea upwards about 0.5 to 1 centimeter per minute (0.197 to 0.4 inch per minute).

Detailed explanation-5: -The bronchi are lined with cilia, tiny hairlike structures. The cilia help move mucus (phlegm) and particles out of your lungs. When you cough or swallow, the particles trapped in the mucus move out of your body or into your digestive tract, where your body can dispose of them.

Detailed explanation-6: -The mucous membrane lining the trachea consists of pseudostratified ciliated columnar epithelium with numerous goblet cells. The mucous produced by the goblet cells traps inhaled particles and the cilia move the mucous and particle to the larynx, from which they enter the pharynx and are swallowed or spit out.

There is 1 question to complete.