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Non-specific immunity, or innate immunity, is the immune system with which you were born, made up of phagocytes and barriers. Phagocytosis , derived from the Greek words phagein , meaning to eat, kytos or cell, and “osis” meaning process, was first described by Élie Metchnikoff , who won the Nobel Prize 100 years ago.
The non-specific effects can be very pronounced, with significant effects on overall mortality and morbidity. In a situation with herd immunity to the target disease, the non-specific effects can be more important for overall health than the specific vaccine effects. [3]
The innate immune system or nonspecific immune system [1] is one of the two main immunity strategies in vertebrates (the other being the adaptive immune system). The innate immune system is an alternate defense strategy and is the dominant immune system response found in plants , fungi , prokaryotes , and invertebrates (see Beyond vertebrates ).
Here to clear up the difference between natural immunity, and vaccine-mediated immunity, is Dr. Theodore Bailey, Chief of GBMC’s Division of Infectious Disease.
Innate immune defenses are non-specific, meaning these systems respond to pathogens in a generic way. [19] This system does not confer long-lasting immunity against a pathogen. The innate immune system is the dominant system of host defense in most organisms, [ 2 ] and the only one in plants.
The immune response to cancer can be categorized into the two main categories as discussed above: innate immunity and adaptive immunity. Innate immunity is the first line of defense against cancer. It consists of non-specific immune cells that can recognize and destroy abnormal cells, including cancer cells.
Intrinsic immunity comprises cellular proteins which are always active and have evolved to block infection by specific viruses or viral taxa. [2] The recognition of intrinsic immunity as a potent anti-viral defense mechanism is a recent discovery and is not yet discussed in most immunology courses or texts.
Immunity can be acquired either actively or passively. Immunity is acquired actively when a person is exposed to foreign substances and the immune system responds. Passive immunity is when antibodies are transferred from one host to another. Both actively acquired and passively acquired immunity can be obtained by natural or artificial means.