Page 30 - The Miracle of the Immune System

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THE MIRACLE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM

is a threat to their own housing site. Since they do not want to be dis-
placed by the invaders, they fight a fierce battle against them. We can
think of these micro-organisms as "professional soldiers" fighting for the
body. They try to protect the site they live in for their own benefit. In so
doing, they complement the fully equipped army in our body.
How do these "professional soldiers" settle in our bodies?
The human embryo has met no enemy during the gestation period in
the mother’s womb. Following the birth of the child, it makes contact with

the environment, and numerous microbes are introduced to the child
through the intake of food and by way of the respiratory tract. Some of
these microbes die right away, while others are discharged before having
the chance to settle down in the body. Some, however, settle in various
parts of the body such as the skin, skin ridges, mouth, nose, eyes, upper
respiratory tract, digestive tract, and genital organs. These microbes form
permanent colonies at these locations and constitute the microbial flora of
the human body.

There are hundreds of bacteria in the world. In the above picture, you can see
only a few of them.