Presence Innate immunity is something already present in the body. Adaptive immunity is created in response to exposure to a foreign substance.
Specificity Non-Specific Specific
Response Fights any foreign invader and rapid Fight only specific infection and slow(1-2 wks)
Potency Limited and Lower potency High potency
Time span Once activated against a specific type of antigen, the immunity remains throughout the life. The span of developed immunity can be lifelong or short.
Inheritance inherited from parents and passed to offspring. Adaptive immunity is not passed from the parents to offspring, hence it cannot be inherited.
Presence Present at birth Develops during a person’s lifetime and can be short-lived.
Allergic Reaction None Immediate …show more content…
B cells have cell-surface immunoglobulin molecules as receptors for antigen and, upon activation, secrete the immunoglobulin as soluble antibody that provides defense against pathogens in the extracellular spaces of the body. T cells have receptors that recognize peptide fragments of intracellular pathogens transported to the cell surface by the glycoproteins of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). Two classes of MHC molecule transport peptides from different intracellular compartments to present them to distinct types of effector T cell: cytotoxic T cells that kill infected target cells, and TH1 cells and helper T cells that mainly activate macrophages and B cells, respectively. Thus, T cells are crucially important for both the humoral and cell-mediated responses of adaptive immunity. The adaptive immune response seems to have engrafted specific antigen recognition by highly diversified receptors onto innate defense systems, which have a central role in the effector actions of both B and T lymphocytes. The vital role of adaptive immunity in fighting infection is illustrated by the immunodeficiency diseases and the problems caused by pathogens that succeed in evading or subverting an adaptive immune response. The antigen-specific suppression of adaptive immune responses is the goal of treatment for important human