Lymphoid Tissue (Nursing)

00:01 So the main functions of our lymphoid tissues are to house and provide proliferation sites for these different lymphocytes, your T cells and your B cells.

00:12 They also offer surveillance vantage points for these lymphocytes, as well as macrophages as a filter through the lymph.

00:22 The lymphoid tissue is largely composed of reticular connective tissue, which is a type of loose connective tissue that is made up of reticular fibers.

00:32 The macrophages then live on these reticular fibers.

00:37 The spaces between the fibers offer a place for lymphocytes to occupy or hang out when they return from patrolling the body.

00:49 There are two main types of lymphoid tissue found in the body.

00:54 We have diffuse lymphoid tissue, which is a loose arrangement of lymphoid cells and some reticular fibers that are found virtually all over the body and every body organ.

01:06 There also are going to be larger collections in the lamina propria of our mucous membranes of the body.

01:14 The second type of lymphoid tissue are going to be the lymphoid follicles or nodules.

01:19 These are solid spherical bodies that consist of tightly packed lymphoid cells and reticular fibers.

01:28 It's important to note that these are not encapsulated, like some of the other lymphoid organs such as the thymus, the spleen, and the lymph nodes.

01:37 We'll talk about those later.

01:40 Usually, we find these lymphoid follicles in places like the mucous membrane lining of the GI tract, the genito-reproductive tract, and our respiratory airways.

01:52 Again, we'll bring this up shortly.

01:56 The lymphoid follicles are going to contain areas known as Germinal centers.

02:01 In these germinal centers, are B cells are going to proliferate or reproduce.

02:08 They may also be a part of the larger lymphoid organs like the lymph nodes.

02:14 We'll talk about this when we talk about lymph nodes.

02:17 Also, you can find some of these lymphoid follicles or nodules, as isolated aggregations and parts of the body such as the Peyer's patch in the intestines, or in the appendix, also in the intestines.

02:32 A good example of these isolated aggregations are also the tonsils.