Your Body’s 100,000 Sentries

Despite the fact that most microorganisms are necessary and good, throughout our lifetimes each of us encounters tens of thousands of different infectious bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.

Even more remarkable is the fact that most of the time our immune systems disable these potentially lethal invaders before we ever show any symptoms of infection. At any given time, more than 100,000 unique sentries posted throughout your body identify invaders, sound the alarm, and even issue specific chemical instructions for their destruction. These sentries may also be thought of as tiny doctors who identify a potential illness, discover the cure and apply it even before the infection gets underway.

The immune system has puzzled scientists. Researchers know that our bodies do not keep a set of genetic blueprints for these sentries, which are called B cells. How then does our body make these sentries or develop the genetic information necessary to disable invaders? Researchers have learned that the body has a small library of DNA fragments that are continually being shuffled into new patterns so that the body is almost instantly ready for any invader.

The fact that even medical researchers are in awe over the design of our immune system verifies what the Bible says: “I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Prayer: I thank You, Father, that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Help me to take care of the temple of my body, which You have given me so that I may be a fit and able instrument for You in this world. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Minneapolis StarTribune, Dec. 22, 1989. p. 2. Image: T-cell dependent b-cell activation, showing TH2-cell (left) B-cell (right) and several interaction molecules. (PD)