title: Homeostasis--the key concept to physiological control.
abstract: Immunity is a response to the invasion of the body by non-self antigens (Figure 8). Immunity is characterised by being: Xenophobic--it distinguishes self from non-self components. Adaptive--it produces a response to an antigenic invasion. Highly specific--its response is personal for different antigenic insults. Anamnestic--its memory component allows the occurrence of primary and secondary responses.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Clancy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McVicar
mesh_terms: D000917:Antibody Formation; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007110:Immunity, Active; D007111:Immunity, Cellular