{description}We are surrounded by microbes bent on using us as their own incubators. Our only defense is our immune system. Without the intricately woven meshwork of defenders, our bodies would helplessly succumb to the myriad of bacteria, viruses, fungi, and other pathogens that surround us every moment without our slightest awareness. Yet even something so utterly vital for our existence has its shortcomings. One such flaw is autoimmunity, a condition in which the immune system attacks the body's own tissues.{/description}