A Tutorial in Immunology

Almost all organisms have systems that ward off threats to the body. Even bacteria with only one cell have an immune system that wards off viruses. Science has found that when attacked, bacteria counterattack the DNA of the aggressor virus by releasing destructive enzymes into the DNA of the aggressors. These destructive enzymes can also harm the DNA of the bacteria that released them. So, in order to cushion the impact of that enzyme on their own DNA, bacteria release a second enzyme. The immune systems of higher organisms react more complexly to viral and bacterial attacks. However, the failure of discriminatory systems leads to different mammal disorders such as immunodeficiency, lupus erythematosus, Addison’s disease, and rheumatoid arthritis. This failure of the discriminatory system indicates that it has undergone a difficult task of resisting very strong outside influences before that defense line was broken. In the end, the story of bacteria and their many tribulations is quite a complicated one with many twists and turns. It has bedeviled scientists since the very dawn of science. Be that as it may, we may nevertheless observe that certain progress has been made. For instance, we know now that people with very seriously compromised immune systems have great difficulty restoring the full vigor of those systems. It is as if they more or less give up the ghost; they leave and don't come back.Persons with compromised immune systems find that it's easy to catch cold. They rarely, therefore, go out when it's raining or when it's snowing or the like. New drugs are coming on the market nowadays, the so-called smart drugs, that effectively mimic the behavior of an immune system. They detect weakness and emit bacterial defenses, just as the body's natural immune system does—or did before it fell into disrepair. Here's hoping that these drugs reach the market in Yemen before immune disorders arrive here in all their frightening mystery and destructive power.