Innate Immunity

This chapter explores the many mechanisms that the innate immune system employs to combat pathogens. It looks at the ways in which the innate immune system uses physical and chemical barriers to stave off infection and how it employs innate immune cells to seek out and destroy pathogens. It also analyzes how the innate immune system uses a variety of effector functions to efficiently clear infections. The chapter covers the action of innate immune cells and the use of soluble signaling molecules which function to increase the effectiveness of the innate immune response and facilitate pathogen destruction. It cites Salmonella as an example of an ingested pathogen that the immune system fights using a variety of physical and chemical barriers.