Which of the following is considered to be a specific defense mechanism against infection?

Question

A. antibodies in mother's milk

B. stomach acids

C. normal bacteria in intestine

D. skin

E. mucus in respiratory tract

Like always, I am in between two, but I'm not sure.... Please help!

Answer 1

Favorite Answer

hi there,

The answer is definitely A. Let's go through the others first.

Stomach acids are not a form of specific defense as acids kill anything without differentiating between microbes or materials.

Normal bacteria in the intestine aren't as well. You may think that they are because they inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestine. Again, these normal flora (another term for bacteria in the intestine) do not specifically defend the body from the invasion from their pathogenic counterparts. They defend the body by competition for binding sites and nutrients. Skin is definitely not. It is just a physical barrier to the outside world. Mucus is not either. It is just a secretory product which entraps microbes and foreign particles.

Antibodies through the colostrum (mother's milk) are specific defense mechanism because they attach to specific proteins on the surface of the microbes which the mother cells recognize. They are secreted by plasma cells which come about from B cells after the presentation of antigen. Therefore, antibodies in mother's milk is. Furthermore, this method of immunity conferring is called "passive natural immunity".

Answer 2

skin

Answer 3

almost positive its A

Source(s): Im a genius and know smart people things such as this

Answer 4

A. :)

Source(s): Nurse.