ABSTRACT
The complement system of plasma proteins is an effector mechanism of both innate and adaptive immunity that tags pathogens for destruction (see Cases 4 and 5). The assembly of the so-called terminal components of the complement system (C5 through C9; Fig. 6.1) on the surface of a bacterial cell or a human cell results in the formation of protein complexes that make pores in the cell membrane, leading to cell lysis and death.
