a general class of white blood cells that ingest microbes or other cells and foreign particles Monocytes, macrophages and neutrophils are types of phagocytes
White blood cells that engulf and kill pathogens 176White blood cells that engulf and kill pathogens 176
Cells that readily eat (ingest) microorganisms like bacteria or fungi and can kill them as a means of protecting the body against infection The two principal phagocytes are neutrophils and monocytes They emigrate out of the blood and into tissues in which an infection has developed A severe decrease in the blood level of these cells is the principal cause of susceptibility to infection in patients treated with intensive radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy The latter treatments suppress blood cell production in the marrow resulting in deficiencies of these phagocytic cells
Large white blood cells that contribute to the immune defenses by ingesting microbes or other cells and foreign particles