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Macrophage

Definition

A macrophage is a type of immune cell. It destroys foreign substances to protect the body from infection.

Alternative Names

Macrophage

Information

Macrophages do not travel through the blood. Instead, they remain in one part of the body.

Macrophages are found in many organs and tissues, including the:

Brain
Breast tissue
Liver
Lung
Lymph nodes
Placenta
Spleen
Tonsils

In people with a disease called Langerhans cell histiocytosis (previously called histiocytosis X), there is an excess of macrophages and other white blood cells in some bodily tissues.

References

Crow MK. The innate immune system. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 39.

Hall JE, Hall ME. Resistance of the body to infection: I. Leukocytes, granulocytes, the monocyte-macrophage system, and inflammation. In: Hall JE, Hall ME, eds. Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology. 14th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 34.

Review Date: 4/17/2022
Reviewed By: Stuart I. Henochowicz, MD, FACP, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Division of Allergy, Immunology, and Rheumatology, Georgetown University Medical School, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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