Difference between Innate Immunity and Acquired Immunity: Immunity is the capacity of an organism to resist getting infected by certain diseases due to the presence of an immune system.
Humans have three different types of immunity which are known as innate immunity, acquired immunity and passive immunity. We will be learning about the difference between innate immunity and acquired immunity here.
Types of Immunity
There are three types of immunity present in humans and they are innate immunity, acquired immunity and passive immunity.
Innate Immunity - Present from birth, the natural response to infection
Acquired Immunity - The immunity that is obtained by vaccination or exposure to pathogens is called acquired immunity.
Passive Immunity - Immunity that is passed by introducing antibodies to a specific pathogen in order to generate an immune response is called passive immunity. It can be passed naturally to the foetus by the mother or by the means of injection into the human body.
Let us learn about the differences between innate immunity and acquired immunity.
Difference between Innate Immunity and Acquired Immunity
The difference between innate and acquired immunity is as follows
| Parameters | Innate Immunity | Acquired Immunity |
| Definition | Innate immunity is the first line of defence that is present from the birth of an individual | Acquired immunity is the type of immunity that is obtained either through recovery from disease or getting vaccines |
| Line of Defence | It is the first line of defence | It is the second line of defence and acts only after the first line of defence is breached. |
| Specificity | It is non-specific | It is antigen-specific in nature and responds to the specific pathogen. |
| Response Time | It has a short time | It has a longer response time. |
| Effectiveness | It is not that much effective when compared to acquired immunity | It is more effective than innate immunity |
| Memory | innate immunity does not have an immunological memory and it reacts the same way as the first exposure | The acquired has an immunological memory and is responsible for triggering a faster response on the second exposure. |
| Components | Skin, mucous membranes, phagocytes and epithelial cells form the components of innate immunity | The T-cells and B-cells are the components of acquired immunity |
| Examples | Inflammatory response to allergy or a cut is an example of innate immunity | The response generated by T and B cells on exposure to the measles virus or any other virus are examples of acquired immunity. |
Conclusion
Innate immunity is the immunity that is present from birth while acquired immunity is the immunity that is developed in an individual after exposure to a pathogen or through vaccination.
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