B LYMPHOCYTE -
Noun: The B cell. It is a type of lymphocyte that has matured in the bone marrow and mainly deals with bacteria and viruses that have been encountered before. Unlike T-cells , they do not circulate in the blood. Their home is in the Lymphatic System . When an invader is present, T-cells or macrophages present the invaders antigen to the B lymphocyte cell and it takes the invader into the tissues where it determines its exact size and shape. It then makes an exactly fitting straitjacket called an antibody that will fit that intruder and no other. Then it gets a production line going to produce thousands more of these antibodies. These move through the body and attach themselves to the micro-organisms which make them harmless and held until the macrophages or neutrophils come along to devour them. B-cells work with T-cells, macrophages and neutrophils to destroy harmful substances which have entered the body. B-cells can memorise the invader's antigen and become a long lived memory B-cell. This results in a quicker response to an infection. Each memory B-cell is specific to one particular antigen.

English - B = bone +

Latin - lympha = clear water +

Greek - kytos = anything hollow.

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