Question

Describe the various types of barriers of immunity.

Answer 1

Hint: The living organisms maintain an equilibrium to maintain the different biological processes. However, due to certain abnormalities the internal environment of the body of the organism is disrupted and causes ailments and diseases. Several microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, viruses are pathogenic in nature and can cause some serious diseases. In order to protect the different biological structures and processes within the organism, a system is maintained.

Complete answer:
The living organism is subjected to different types of pathogenic microorganism, infection or diseases caused by other deficiencies. The organism maintains a specialized host defense system which works to protect the body against diseases. This is referred to as the immune system. The immune system helps to protect the body by producing several responses. The immune system detects a wide range of agents such as pathogens such as viruses, bacteria and parasitic worms. In the process of identification and responses related to the diseases, the immune system identifies the body’s own cells and foreign materials.
The resistance of the multicellular organism to resist harmful microorganisms is known as immunity. The immunity includes the specific and non-specific components such as acting as barriers to prevent the infection. The response of the immune system towards the diseases can also occur by generating pathogenic-specific immunity.
The immunity strategy in organisms are of two types which are innate immunity and adaptive immunity. The innate immune responses are rapid in action, but they are non-specific and their effectiveness is considerably low. The adaptive immune responses are slow in action but are highly specific and effective against the pathogens.
The innate immune system is associated with the first line of defense mechanism for the body and these are known as the barriers of immunity. The barriers of immunity form the basic defense system and help to protect the body by preventing the entry of the pathogens. These barriers prevent the pathogens from entering the body and destroys them before they can invade the living tissues. The barriers can be considered as anatomical barriers and it includes physical, chemical and biological barriers.
The skin or the epithelial layer forms a type of physical barrier that prevents the entry of most infectious diseases causing the organism by serving as an impermeable layer. The different glands on the skin as well as regular shedding of the skin epithelium helps to check and remove the bacterial infection from the upper layer of skin. The dead layer of keratinized cells and lack of blood vessels along with presence of sebaceous glands make it unsuitable for the growth of the microbes.
The tear glands in the eye help to prevent the infection of the eye by serving as a barrier system. The mucus secreted by the mucous glands also trap the microorganism and destroy them. In addition to this, the immune system produces keratin types of toxins and enzymes which helps to act as a type of barrier against the disease-causing organisms.

Note:
The main purpose of the immune system is the protection and prevention of the body against the disease causing pathogenic organisms and infections. The responses in case of infections are either non-specific but fast or can be specific but slow. In order to prevent the pathogenic organisms from entering the body certain barrier systems are employed which prevent the entry of the microbes.