Related Words

Antibody: A blood protein produced by the immune system in response to a foreign organism or substance.

Antibody-Mediated Immunity: Immune reaction that protects primarily against invading viruses and bacteria through antibodies produced by plasma cells; also known as humoral immunity.

Communicable Disease: Any condition that is transmitted directly or indirectly to a person from an infected person or animal through the agency of an intermediate animal, host or vector or through the inanimate e . . . View Full Definition

Western Blotting Analysis: A technique used to identify a specific protein: the probe is a radioactively labeled antibody raised against the protein in question.

Suppressor T Cells: T cells that slow down and stop the immune response of B cells and other T cells. Immune system cells that shut off the antibody production when an infection is under control.

Antigens: Molecules carried or produced by microorganisms that initiate antibody production; mostly proteins or proteins combined with polysaccharides.

B Cells: Type of lymphocyte responsible for antibody-mediated immunity; mature in the bone marrow and circulate in the circulatory and lymph systems where they transform into antibody-producing plasm . . . View Full Definition

Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID): A genetic disorder in which affiicted individuals have no functional immune system and are prone to infections. Both the cell-mediated immune response and the antibody-mediated response are absent.

Antigenic Determinant: The site on an antigen to which an antibody binds, forming an antigen-antibody complex.