Phagocytosis (from the Greek word phagein, meaning to eat,andkytos, meaning vessel) is the process in which cells engulf small solid particles, including, on occasion, whole cells. Because the cells are taking in solid particles, phagocytosis is...

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, scientific researchers worked to uncover the mysteries of the body's immune system--the ways in which the body protects itself against harmful invading substances. One line of investigation showed that immunity is due...

The process in the body’s defence mechanism whereby invading bacteria (see BACTERIUM) are destroyed by LEUCOCYTES. The process starts by a slowing of blood flow around the site of invasion and the accumulation of leucocytes at the site, in...

Phagocytosis is the cellular process of engulfing solid particles by the cell membrane to form an internal phagosome, or "food vacuole." The phagosome is usually delivered to the lysosome, an organelle involved in the breakdown of cellular components,...

An Experimental System Suitable for Introductory & Advanced Instruction Tetrahymena, a freshwater ciliated protozoan, is in many ways an ideal candidate for the study of cells by students. Readily obtained and cultured, Tetrahymena can be used to study ciliary motion, organelle structure and...

BACKGROUND: The phagocytosis of pathogens is essential for fighting infections. No assay is available, however, to measure both engulfment and degradation of bacteria under conditions similar to those in vivo. We sought to develop a flow cytometric assay to measure the engulfment and degradation...