In this scanning electron micrograph a human macrophage, a type of cell
found in blood that helps confer immunity and ward off infection, homes in
on a chain of nasty Streptococcus bacteria. Hitching a ride aboard the
macrophage is sphere-shaped lymphocyte. Both macrophage and lymphocyte can
be found near the site of an infection, and the two act in concert to help
eliminate it. The macrophage works be "eating" the invader. That act
begins a complex process of biochemical communication that involves "helper
cells" like lymphocytes, which help stimulate antibody production and make
it easier for the invading germs to be consumed.
You, too, can learn about immunology and lots of other cellular-mediated
events of nature by going to Cells Alive, a way cool page with lots of
pretty scientific pictures of things we can't otherwise see. A big thanks
to James A. Sullivan for lending us this CSI.
