What are Innate Immunity Disorders?

Also known as: innate immune defects, innate immunity, primary immunodeficiency diseases

The body’s immune system has two different types of responses to foreign invaders

• The innate immune system refers to a set of cells that respond as a nonspecific response to infections without any additional specialization or “training,” (these include neutrophils, monocytes, natural killer cells (NK), basophils and mast cells, complement proteins and others.

• The adaptive or acquired immune system are the specific response to an infection with cells that adapt and tailor their response to specific intruders over time (T-cells and B-cells).

Primary immunodeficiency diseases are those where the body’s immune system is missing or does not function properly. They can be divided into those involving the innate and adaptive systems.

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Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM