How Our Bodies Fight Disease White blood cells defend against germs. The immune system is made up of many different kinds of white blood cells. White blood cells work together to protect us against disease-causing germs. Macrophages identify germs When a germ invades our bodies, macropassages gobble up the germ and display as surface shape, or antigen, for other immune cells to see Helper T cells direct the defense Helper T cells spot the foreign antigen on the macrophage and begin to multiply. They alert other white blood cells and direct the body's defense.
B cells make antibodies B cells start to make chemicals called antibodies.
Antibodies lock onto foreign antigens making it cancer for other immune cells to destroy them. Killer T cells destroy germs Altered by helper T cells, killer T cells multiply and destroy the invading germs. Working together, our white blood cells can usually destroy invading germs. HIV invades and destroys helper T cells, the very cells that direct the body's defenses. By destroying helper T cells.