Page 33 - The Miracle in the Immune System
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Besieged Castle: The Human Body 31
There are hundreds of bacteria in the world. In the above
picture, you can see only a few of them.
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 environ-
ment, and numerous microbes are introduced to the
child through the intake of food and by way of the re-
spiratory 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 vari-
ous parts of the body such as the skin, skin ridges,
mouth, nose, eyes, upper respiratory tract, digestive
tract, and genital organs. These microbes form perma-
nent colonies at these locations and constitute the mi-
crobial flora of the human body.
