Final answer:
Cytotoxic T cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, release perforins and granzymes that rupture and induce apoptosis in infected body cells, unlike helper T cells that release cytokines and regulate the immune response.
Step-by-step explanation:
The type of T cell that releases perforins which can rupture infected body cells is the cytotoxic T cell. Perforins are proteins that form pores in the membranes of infected cells. Cytotoxic T cells, also known as CD8+ T cells, produce not only perforins but also granzymes, which enter through those pores to trigger apoptosis in the infected cells. Apoptosis is a process of programmed cell death that is efficient in removing infected cells without releasing pathogens inside to infect neighboring cells.
Cytotoxic T cells contrast with helper T cells (CD4+ T cells), which release cytokines to regulate the immune response rather than directly killing infected cells. This killing mechanism is critical for the body's defense against intracellular pathogens like viruses, and it differs from the response of natural killer (NK) cells, which recognize stressed or abnormal cells non-specifically.