![]() Antibodies are a special type of protein that bind to specific molecules that the pathogen either wears or makes (5). Your appendix has several types of immune cells including B cells, T cells, macrophages, natural killer T cells, and cells that make antimicrobial peptides (2).ī cells are a type of immune cell that make antibodies against pathogens to protect you (5). This release and relocation of beneficial gut bacteria after infection by our appendix helps our immune system keep us healthy and maintain the mutualistic relationship between our cells and our gut bacteria.īesides functioning as a “safe house” for our gut bacteria, the appendix also contains some immune cells that can react quickly to fight off infections1. The appendix then sheds some bacteria from its biofilms to repopulate the rest of the gut with good bacteria (2). In the course of a gut infection, diarrhea cleans out most of our bacteria, both good and infection-causing, leaving our gut depleted of its protective biofilm layer. The appendix is located toward the end of our colon but it avoids fecal matter (lucky appendix) and is narrower than other parts of the gut, which helps to keep the appendix safe from infection (1). While almost all of our gut has some amount of biofilm to prevent pathogenic bacteria from crossing our intestinal barrier, the appendix has the most biofilm (1). ![]() Biofilms can cause infection (especially if the biofilm grows on contact lens or artificial limbs), however, in the appendix, biofilms protect the good bacteria that populate our gut (1). Biofilms are like safe houses for bacteria, protecting them from outside elements that might harm them, and allowing bacteria to form stable communities (1). ![]() A biofilm is made when a group of microbes, like bacteria, stick together and also stick to a surface using mucus (similar to slime). It was only recently, in 2007, when researchers determined that the appendix plays host to gut bacteria by forming and protecting biofilms (1). Second, it contains some important immune cells to help us fight off infections. The appendix has two functions that aid our immune system to keep us healthy: First, it serves as a reservoir of good bacteria in case of a gut infection.
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