We just learned about the Monocyte.
Another type of white blood cell is a Neutrophil, also called a neutrocyte or heterophil.
We've learned about 2 other types of white blood cells:
- lymphocytes - that help kill off bad diseases using T, B or NK cells.
- monocytes - that help fight off infections and clean up garbage in the body.
The neutrophils are a lot like the monocytes, where their job is to go fight off bad germs and dirt that cause infections and make you sick.
These are the first line of defense for your body when there is an infection, they are like the emergency workers that rush to the scene to help out.
There are more neutrophils than any other type of white blood cell, and the human body makes about 100 billion neutrophils every day.
One of the only differences between monoctyes and neutrophils is that when a monocyte fights off an infection or disease they leave behind some clues about what kind of disease it might be.
These clues help the super powerful lymphocytes come in if there is a bad disease that needs to be killed off.
(from: wikipedia - neutrophil)
Kid Facts - Blast from the past: Uvea
