Innate Immunity: Defense Mechanisms and Pathogen Recognition

This lecture covers the innate immune system's defense mechanisms, including surface epithelia, tissue sentinel cells, white blood cells, and soluble plasma proteins. It explains the three phases of the host response to infection, the recognition of pathogens by pattern recognition receptors, and the checkpoints that microbes must overcome to establish disease. The lecture also delves into the principles of innate immune recognition, the role of antimicrobial peptides, and the functions of phagocytes, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and mast cells.