The antibodies that they secrete are known as immunoglobulins, or Ig. When foreign particles, no matter what they are bacteria, viruses, chemical toxins - resist the action of macrophages, the macrophages attack the resistant particle and form the characteristic cellular pattern known as a granuloma . The granuloma is a cluster of a variety of cells that form a discrete nodule. The multinucleated giant cell is characteristic of the granuloma. The giant cell is made up of many macrophages that fuse together and is seen in the central region of the granuloma.
Many macrophages surround the giant cells and are called epitheliod cells.
The central part of the granuloma is surrounded by layers of T cells. Granulomas can be easily seen and identified through a microscope. Back to Top Non-caseating granulomas Tuberculosis is another type of granulomatous disease. In tuberculosis, the centers of the granulomas become so isolated that the cells die from lack of oxygen and from the toxic effects of the macrophages and leukocytes that make up the granuloma. Sarcoidosis, on the other hand, is non-caseating.