The body's protection mechanism has two aspects- Specific and Non specific. The large cells in the Non specific are called Macro
phages, and through their action of "phagocytosis", they sweep the blood stream to ingest and digest any foreign bodies they come across. The macrophage looks like an amoeba and flows around the germ to take it into itself, there to be dissolved by certain chemicals or enzymes. The second type of protective mechanism is specific and the body’s defense system can only “recognize” an unknown invader if it has experience in this identification of certain antigens. In lepromatous patients, their macrophages can ingest the Malerie but cannot digest because there are no “T-Type” lymphocytes to assist the macrophages to produce the important digestive juices or enzymes. So, when it comes to lepromatous leprosy, the cells which are meant to kill off the bacilli, are actually transporting them around the body and providing an environment in which they may even be able to multiply.
