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Which of the following are defenses against lung pathogens?

Choose one or more:
A sneezing
B mucociliary escalator
C acidic pH
D Peyer's patches
E alveolar macrophages

User Ted Dziuba
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1 Answer

2 votes

Final answer:

The defenses against lung pathogens include A. sneezing, B. mucociliary escalator, and E alveolar macrophages. Acidic pH and Peyer's patches do not relate directly to lung defense mechanisms.

Step-by-step explanation:

Defenses Against Lung Pathogens

The respiratory system has several mechanisms to defend against lung pathogens. Among these defenses are:

A sneezing: Sneezing rapidly expels air and potentially harmful substances from the nasal cavity, helping to clear the respiratory passages of irritants and pathogens.

B mucociliary escalator: This is a critical defense mechanism in which mucus produced by goblet cells traps pathogens and particulates, and ciliated epithelial cells move the mucus towards the pharynx to be swallowed and destroyed by the acidic environment of the stomach.

E alveolar macrophages: These are phagocytic cells found within the alveoli of the lungs that engulf and digest invading microbes, providing an essential line of defense at the deepest level of the respiratory tract.

Options C and D, acidic pH and Peyer's patches, are not defenses in the lungs themselves. Acidic pH is more relevant to the stomach's defense against pathogens, while Peyer's patches are associated with the immune response in the intestines.

To sum up, the correct options in the final answer concerning defenses against lung pathogens are A sneezing, B mucociliary escalator, and E alveolar macrophages.

User Chris Sherlock
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7.7k points