Question

Many microbial pathogens enter the gut of humans along with food. What are the preventive barriers to protect the body from such pathogens? What type of immunity do you observe in this case?

Answer 1

Preventive barriers:

$\bullet$ Physical barriers like the mucus coating present along the gastrointestinal tract prevent the entry of pathogens.

$\bullet$ Physiological barriers that consist of secretions like the saliva (lysozyme) in the mouth and HCl in the stomach kill pathogens that may have entered along with food.

Immunity:

The physical and physiological barriers are a part of innate immunity. Innate immunity is not specific to a particular pathogen and is conferred on the body from birth. It provides a non-specific type of defense.