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Tissue macrophages (pink/purple), T lymphocytes (green), and human red blood cells from a leg wound. A tissue macrophage is a mature phagocyte that can ingest and destroy invading microbes, foreign particles and cellular debris. A monocyte is a circulating phagocyte that ingests microbes, invading particles, and cellular debris. Monocytes leave the blood stream and usually mature into tissue macrophages. Lymphocytes are involved in the specific immune response and are composed mainly of precursor T cells and B cells (pre-T and B cells). Pre-T cells (also known as T lymphocytes) circulate in the blood before migrating to the thymus where they develop into specialized cells (helper T and killer T cells) that are able to identify antigens and infected tissue cells.
Image and text copyright © Dennis Kunkel. All rights reserved. |
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