Here's how it works:
1. Recognition: White blood cells, specifically neutrophils and macrophages, have receptors on their surface that recognize molecules found on the surface of microbes, such as bacteria and viruses.
2. Engulfment: Once a microbe is recognized, the white blood cell engulfs it, trapping it within a membrane-bound sac called a phagosome.
3. Destruction: The phagosome then fuses with another organelle called a lysosome, which contains powerful enzymes and other chemicals that break down the microbe, effectively killing it.
This process, phagocytosis, is a vital part of the innate immune response, providing a rapid and non-specific defense against invading microbes.
