Final answer:
Humoral immunity, primarily involving B cells and antibodies, does not directly destroy foreign cells; it marks them for destruction by the immune system. Cellular immunity involves T cells which can directly attack and destroy infected cells. The incorrect statement is that humoral immunity destroys the foreign cell directly.
Step-by-step explanation:
The class's statement that humoral immunity does not destroy the foreign cell indicates a misunderstanding of humoral and cellular immunity following the teaching session. The humoral immune response involves B lymphocytes (B cells) that produce antibodies, which do not directly destroy foreign cells but can bind to pathogens and toxins in extracellular spaces to neutralize them, facilitate their removal through phagocytosis, or initiate other immune reactions.
Cellular immunity, on the other hand, does involve the destruction of foreign cells. It encompasses the actions of the T lymphocytes (T cells) including cytotoxic T cells that attack and eliminate cells infected by intracellular pathogens. It should be noted that while humoral immunity primarily deals with extracellular threats, cellular immunity is concerned with intracellular ones.
Both types of immunity play a significant role in the adaptive immune system, and it is incorrect to state that humoral immunity involves destroying foreign cells directly. Instead, the antibodies produced in the humoral response mark pathogens for destruction, whereas the actual destruction is often carried out by other elements of the immune system, including natural killer cells, phagocytes, or the cellular immunity mechanisms involving T cells.