Disease resistance - Vitality Hormone Clinic

What is disease resistance?

Disease resistance refers to the ability of an organism to limit the damage caused by a pathogen. Organisms have evolved various methods to resist diseases.

There are two main types of disease resistance:

• Innate immunity - General protection mechanisms that organisms are born with. These include physical barriers like skin, chemical barriers like antimicrobial enzymes, and generalized immune responses.
• Acquired immunity - Immunity that develops with exposure to pathogens. This includes the specific responses of the adaptive immune system in vertebrates.

Plants also have similar innate and acquired disease resistance. Innate immunity in plants includes waxy layers on leaves, production of inhibitors, and pattern recognition receptors. Acquired resistance develops only after exposure to a pathogen.

Selective breeding and biotechnology have produced disease-resistant crops which have prevented large scale losses to diseases. Disease-resistant varieties of rice, wheat, potato have been crucial in securing global food supply.

Artificial selection has also produced livestock breeds resistant to diseases endemic in their environments. Disease resistance is heritable and continues to improve with breeding programs. However, climate change and movement of pathogens continue to pose challenges.

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Some key questions on disease resistance:

What are the differences between innate and acquired immunity?

• Innate immunity consists of non-specific defenses an organism is born with while acquired immunity develops only after exposure to a pathogen. Acquired immunity targets specific pathogens and has immunological memory.

How do plants defend themselves from diseases?

• Plants utilize physical and chemical barriers for innate immunity. Acquired systemic resistance develops after initial exposure and infection. Resistant plant varieties recognize pathogens faster and mount defenses quicker.

What is the role of selective breeding in disease resistance?

• Selective breeding of plants and animals for disease resistance has been very effective. Farmers and breeders choose parents with strong immunity to breed the next generation. Other techniques like genomic selection also assist breeding programs. Continual selection has improved resistance in crops and livestock over decades.

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