Trying to learn how different blood cells defend against parasites for a story I’m writing and I’m having trouble finding simple explanations for them. I don’t know a lot about terminology used for different types. Particularly I’m looking for stuff based on eosinophils since I’ve heard they have a hand in it. Regardless anything helps thank you. Thank you.
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“In the 1970s, eosinophils were shown to be capable of killing helminth larvae in vitro when combined with specific antibodies or complement, a form of antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a process where immune effector cells kill target cells coated by specific antibodies. These findings engendered a dogma that the role of eosinophils is to protect the host against parasitic worms.”
Huang, L., & Appleton, J.A. (2016). Eosinophils in Helminth Infection: Defenders and Dupes. Trends in parasitology, 32(10), 798–807.
Antibodies are proteins that float around in the blood until they find a specific antigen they can stick to. Infectious agents, such as parasitic invaders, become coated in these antibodies, which mark them for destruction by white blood cells. Eosinophils are phagocytic, meaning that they “eat” substances marked by antibodies. They then produce toxic compounds and cytotoxic enzymes (proteins that are harmful to cells) to destroy the infectious agents. Eosinophils are also involved in the inflammatory response, especially in regards to allergic reactions. Eosinophil levels may be higher in the presence of inflammation not related to parasitic infection.
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