• Question: Which parts of the body get infected easily?

    Asked by ZTV123 to Aimee, Gemma, Hussain, Robert, Ross on 17 Nov 2015. This question was also asked by Elena366.
    • Photo: Robert Lees

      Robert Lees answered on 17 Nov 2015:

      The parts which are exposed to the outside world – our throats and noses (colds and coughs are VERY common), eyes, mouths and any cuts on our skin. This is because bacteria can find their way to these areas very easily, as bacteria are all around us, it just takes an unwashed hand to rub an eye pr touch and then eat food or for you to get dirt in a cut for the bacteria to enter our bodies. These are the places where defence is at it’s highest though.

      I pretend to know about this, but I’m no immunologist, Hussain and Ross could tell you what kind of responses occur, and why!

    • Photo: Ross King

      Ross King answered on 17 Nov 2015:

      Robert has done a pretty good job at explaining this! He’s right in that anything that is exposed to the outside world has a good chance of becoming infected.

      Our skin is our largest organ and it only takes one small cut or graze to allow millions of bacteria inside us. Luckily, the skin is COVERED in cells called dendritic cells (they look a bit like little trees), and they are very good at sensing invading bugs and telling the rest of the immune system that something has invaded and to come and sort it out fast. Other cells called macrophages (which means ‘big eater’ in Greek) are also around, and they eat as much bacteria as they can to get rid of them, as well as calling in even more different immune cells to do even more damage!

      I really could go on forever…but I won’t 😛

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