Neutrophils are best described as:

• A. They produce antibodies
• B. They are a type of red blood cell
• C. A type of white blood cell that engulfs invading microbes and contributes to the nonspecific defences
• D. They are platelets

Answer: (C)

Neutrophils are phagocytic white blood cells that act as first responders in the body's innate, nonspecific defense. They rush to sites of infection, engulfing and digesting invading microbes through phagocytosis and using enzymes and reactive oxygen species to kill them. This fast, general defense is exactly what nonspecific immunity relies on. They aren’t antibody producers—those functions are carried out by B cells (and plasma cells). They’re not red blood cells, which transport oxygen, nor platelets, which help with clotting. Neutrophils are typically short-lived and highly abundant, especially during acute bacterial infections, making them central to early immune defense.