White Blood Cells: Building Up Your Immunity


The human body is composed of many systems and organs that are very similar to a car engine. Every part has a specific function that not only makes it run, but makes it run properly. Using that line of thought, it is the blood that serves as the oil and the fuel that makes sure it keeps running. Blood is composed of a few components, each of which equally important. One of those components is the white blood cells.

White blood cells, also known as leukocytes, are clear blood cells that are larger than the red blood cells and are very important in the body’s immune system. The white blood cells in the blood are the ones that produce important antibodies that fight off infection from bacteria, viruses and other foreign proteins that would cause complications to the human body.

There are actually two types of white blood cells. Through the presence of granules, one can categorize and differentiate white blood cells as either granulocytes or agranulocytes.

Granulocytes are white blood cells that through the microscope, shows the presence of staining granules in the cytoplasm of the blood cell. The three types of granulocytes are neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils. These are named according to their staining properties.

Agranulocytes are the white blood cells categorized because of the lack or total absence of granules. These are classified into three categories, lymphocytes, monocytes, and macrophages.

Within the human body, the most prevalent of all the types of white blood cells are the neutrophils. An average human has 65% of neutrophils in his or her blood. Neutrophils actually deal with the defense of the body against bacterial and fungal infection and other small inflammatory processes. These are also the first to act whenever there is microbial infection going on. Basophils are the least existent in the body, going at a rate of less than 1%.


Your Popup Blocker Must Be Off