wunder beta🦠 Pathogens and the Immune System
Meet the bacteria, viruses, and fungi that cause disease, and discover how your white blood cells fight back.
What you’ll learn
- Pathogens: The InvadersDefine pathogens, name the main types, and describe how they spread and cause disease.Pathogens are disease-causing microbes: bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protists. Bacteria release toxins, viruses invade cells to copy themselves, and fungi grow on the body. They spread through the air, water, food, touch, and cuts.
- The Immune System Fights BackDescribe the body's barriers and explain how white blood cells fight pathogens.The first line of defence, including skin, mucus, and stomach acid, keeps most pathogens out. If they get in, white blood cells fight them by engulfing them or making antibodies, and memory cells remember the pathogen so the body responds faster next time.
Questions this course answers
What is a pathogen?
A pathogen is a disease-causing microbe.
Which of these diseases is caused by a virus?
Influenza (the flu) is caused by a virus.
How do many bacteria make you feel ill?
Bacteria release toxins that damage the body.
Which of these is a common way pathogens spread?
Pathogens spread through air, water, food, touch, and cuts.
What is your body's first line of defence against pathogens?
Barriers like skin and mucus try to keep pathogens out.
How do some white blood cells destroy pathogens?
White blood cells engulf pathogens or make antibodies.
Grounded in trusted sources
- BBC Bitesize
- Britannica
- KidsHealth (Nemours)
- NHS
Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.
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