Lysozyme, present in tears and saliva, protects the body by
- A. producing memory cells against bacteria
- B. binding specifically to one type of antigen
- C. digesting the cell walls of bacteria
- D. raising the body temperature during infection
Explanation
Lysozyme is an enzyme that breaks the peptidoglycan of bacterial cell walls, so the cell bursts by osmosis, and it acts on any susceptible bacterium without previous exposure. That lack of specificity and of memory is what makes it a second line, non specific chemical defence rather than part of immunity proper. Fever is a separate non specific response coordinated by the hypothalamus.