Asked by martin

Staphylococcus aureus, or staph, is a bacteria that is commonly found in the nose and on the skin of humans. While it is typically not harmful to humans, it is sometimes able to enter the body through an injury or broken skin, and get into the bloodstream. When this happens, it can cause a serious infection called sepsis. Sepsis can cause an individual to go into shock and bodily organs to stop functioning. Symptoms of sepsis include inflammation, fever or hypothermia, increased heart rate, and rapid breathing.

A microscopic image of staphylococcus aureus is shown.

Which immune system component initially results in the inflammation and responds quickly when Staphylococcus aureus enters the bloodstream?
complement system
phagocytes
Langerhans cells
B lymphocytes

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
Answer: complement system.

Explanation: The complement cascade is an innate blood-borne system that is activated quickly on encountering bacteria like S. aureus. Complement fragments (e.g., C3a, C5a) cause inflammation and recruit phagocytes, while other components opsonize bacteria for ingestion. Phagocytes then arrive and clear the microbes, but the complement system is the immediate trigger of inflammation.