Why does the innate immune system become activated upon recognizing a pathogen but not a
foreign object such as an artificial heart valve?
2007-01-17 13:10:51 · 2 answers · asked by Rina F 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
Because the artificial heart valve lacks the receptor sites that are present on all living cells which is what makes a B cell get activated
2007-01-18 03:46:04 · answer #1 · answered by Sarab s 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I believe the answer to your interesting question is this. The innate immune system is designed to target common glycoproteins found on the surface of most bacteria and other pathogens. These glycoproteins may not be a part of cells from mammals - if they were, our innate immune systems would constantly attack our own cells (autoimmunity).
Best wishes.
2007-01-17 16:01:25 · answer #2 · answered by Doctor J 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋