The various organs of the immune system are positioned throughout the body and include bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen. Once digested, the antigens are exposed to specialized lymphocytes, some of which produce antibodies and effector T cells, which help destroy any antigens remaining in the body.
Antibodies are proteins produced by B cells that bind to antigens and promote antigen destruction.
Effector T cells include killer T cells, which attack and kill antigen laden cells, and helper T cells, which secrete special proteins called cytokines that promote antigen elimination. NK cells are specialized lymphocytes that are also activated by antigen to either kill infected targets or secrete immunoregulatory cytokines.