Question: what is your least favourite part of the immunue system

Joanna Giles answered on 22 Nov 2012:

My least favourite….hmmm…that’s hard! Do I pick something that I think isn’t as efficient as the others or do I pick something that is too complicated to understand…

I suppose my least favourite is the snot! Our primary barriers do an amazing job of keeping things out – so our skin obviously keeps out the bugs, and the stomach acid in our bellies kills any bugs that do make it through and our tears have lysosyme (an antiseptic enzyme) to kill bacteria – but all the mucus in our bodies (like the mucus lining our lungs….and the SNOT) is also a barrier.

Snot is just gross, so I guess that’s my least favourite – really makes me gag! But I suppose where would we be without it? Probably quite ill a lot – it is important in trapping dust and bugs and preventing them into our bodies so I suppose I like it when I can’t see it!