What are the organs systems and structures of the immune system?
The immune system comprises all systems, organs, structures, cells, and molecules that identify both SELF and non-SELF.
The organs, systems, and structures involved in the immune system functioning are:
- Bone marrow
- The spleen
- Tonsils
- The appendix
- The lymph nodes and vessels
- The thymus
- Lymphoid tissue associated with mucous membranes (MALT Mucosa Associated Lymphoid Tissue)
But that’s not all. For the immune system to work, specialized cells are dedicated to this task: the immune cells.
The majority of these cells are known as white blood cells like the famous macrophages.
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These immune cells are located in these different body’s locations:
- The blood
- Lymphatic vessels and all lymphatic structures, such as lymph nodes
- Organs such as the liver, spleen, lungs, etc.
- The digestive and respiratory mucous membranes, etc.
- The skin
- The brain
Some cells are mainly active in the blood, but can escape from the blood in the event of inflammation and infection, to support the immune cells already there.
The majority of these cells are known as white blood cells. As the reality is much more complex, we have decided, in order to simplify our understanding, to group them together under the term immune cells.
Here are a number of these cells:
- Macrophages
- Monocytes
- The natural killer (NK)
- Neutrophils / basophils / eosinophils
- B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes
To learn more about how your immune system works and what to do to help it thrive, please visit our free library full of topics like these covering a wide range of topics written by Holistic Natural Health Experts.
