Question

What role macrophages play in providing immunity to humans?

Answer 1

The word disease means disturbed ease. It refers to the condition that impairs the normal functioning of the living organisms. Disease may be a response to environmental factors, specific infective agents or might be malfunctioning of organs with age.
Immunity is the ability of an organism to defend itself from the development of a disease. There are two types of immunity – innate immunity and acquired immunity.

Complete answer: The term macrophage is formed by the combination of two terms ‘makro’ and ‘phagein’ which means big and eat. The macrophages are very important cells of the immune system which are formed in the response to any infection or dead cells. They are the large and specialized cells that can easily recognize, engulf and destroy the target cells.
In humans the macrophages are present at 21 micrometers in length. They can survive for months at a time. They are also involved in the development of innate immunity. This immunity is acquired when a macrophage eats up the bacteria which causes disease and presents the antigen on its surface and alerts the other white blood cells for the foreign particle. Other WBC’s make chemicals known as antibodies to fight against the infection. By this they provide immunity to humans. And protect the body from the attack of disease causing germs or pathogens and other foreign substances.
That’s why WBC’S are called the soldiers of the body.

Note: Macrophages ingest the harmful pathogens and will take some of the material from the microbe cell and present it to the other cells in the immune system. Macrophages play an alarm sound to alert all other immune cells to fight against these types of foreign particles or microbes. Macrophages also help to destroy and remove tumor cells from the body.