Description
The lymphoid system is composed of lymphatic vessels and lymphoid organs.
Lymphoid organs are part of the immune system of the body. These organs are categorized into primary and secondary lymphoid organs, which are capable of detecting and combating pathogens, malignant or degenerative cells, and foreign material present in lymph.
Primary lymphoid organs include the bone marrow and the thymus. These organs are responsible for the generation of new, or de novo, lymphocytes. B and T lymphocytes differentiate and mature in the primary lymphoid organs (Standring, 2016).
Secondary lymphoid organs, such as the spleen, lingual tonsils, pharyngeal tonsils, and lymph nodes, are the sites in which B and T lymphocytes, along with antigen-presenting cells, initiate an immune response.
Related parts of the anatomy
References
Standring, S. (2016) Gray's Anatomy: The Anatomical Basis of Clinical Practice. Gray's Anatomy Series: Elsevier Limited.
