User:Thomasdcunningham/Immune Surveillance

Immune Surveillance or Immunosurveillance, is the concept of immune cells circulating the body, searching for sources of infection.

Typically referring to specialized immune cells, called cytotoxic lymphocytes, which are attuned to identifying and inducing apoptosis in virally infected or cancerous cells.

Cytotoxic lymphocytes are CD8+ Cytotoxic T lymphocytes and Natural Killer cells.

Once identified as virally infected or cancerous, the cytotoxic lymphocyte will induce apoptosis through either of two pathways; the perforin/granzyme or Tumor Necrosis Factors pathways.