phagocytosis

• phagocytes: non-specific and act against any foreign cellular material
• lymphocytes: specific and responsible for immunity
• process:

  1. pathogen recognised as having foreign antigens and attaches to the phagocyte by surface receptors
  2. the pathogen is engulfed by the phagocyte by endocytosis, forming a phagosome
  3. lysosomes fuse to the phagosome to form a phagolysosome and release digestive enzymes into the phagosome to digest the pathogen
  4. harmless products are removed by exocytosis or used by phagocyte