What are the two groups of defense mechanisms of the body against foreign or harmful agents? What is the difference between them?
The body has many defense mechanisms against foreign pathogenic agents. These mechanisms are separated into two groups: the exact mechanisms and the unspecific mechanisms. The exact mechanisms are part of the immune system and comprehend the humoral immune response and the cellular immune response that respectively make antibodies and defense cells against exact antigens. The unspecific mechanisms fight in a general manner any type of antigen (they do not have specificity) and in them a series of defense means are contained, like the skin barrier against foreign agents, the mucous and ciliated epithelium of the airway, inflammation (the inflammatory response) and the action of unspecific proteins and defense cells (e.g., macrophages and interferons).