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Module 2.3 · Topic 6
Module 2.3 · Topic 6
Three different alarms, one shared weapon
An antibody bound to a bacterium, a pathogen's bare surface with no host protection on it, and a sugar pattern unique to microbes — three completely different things for the immune system to notice. All three trigger the exact same cascade afterward.
Complement can be triggered by an antibody, or by direct contact with an unprotected pathogen surface, with no antibody involved at all. Does the pathogen's fate differ depending on which one detected it?
The alternative and lectin complement pathways share which key feature?
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