title: Complement defense mechanisms.
abstract: The susceptibility of complement-deficient individuals to various severe infections, and studies of the effector mechanisms involved in the destruction of infectious agents, demonstrate the importance of complement in providing an effective host defense system. It is also becoming increasingly apparent that complement not only plays a role in 'natural' defenses against infection and in enhancing the antibody-mediated effector mechanisms, but also influences adaptive immune responses directly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, New York University Medical Center, New York 10016.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tomlinson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D003167:Complement Activation; D003165:Complement System Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D007113:Immunity, Innate; D007167:Immunotherapy; D007249:Inflammation; D009895:Opsonin Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D010587:Phagocytosis
chemical_list: D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D003165:Complement System Proteins