Thursday, March 19, 2020

Read the Article, Lack of Blood Samples Stalls Virus-Drug Work

Major terminology explained. Assignment on the next post.
Antibody is a protein dissolved in blood plasma that attaches to a specific kind of antigen and helps counter it's; secreted by plasma cells.

Plasma is the liquid portion of the blood in which the blood cells are suspended.

Antigen is a foreign, (non-self ) molecule that elicits an adaptive response. Antigens can be viruses, bacteria, mold sores, pollen, or house dust.

Adaptive response: highly specific response to pathogens- disease causing organisms.

Explanation: whenever something foreign,  known as an antigen, not recognized as a part of the body of an individual, the foreign molecule will be attacked by increased number of cells or produce antibodies.  The body creates antibodies of a specific shape to destroy the invader.

The response to an antigen is usually specific to that antigen and are ineffective to other antigens. Adaptive immunity has a memory and can identify antigens it encountered before, and reacts quicker and more effectivley if the same antigen is encountered.

Adaptive immunity can be obtained by natural exposure, for instance to an antigen like the coronavirus, or it can be achieved by vaccination, known as immunization.

Vaccine composed of harmless variant, (form) of a disease causing mircrobe such as the coronavirus. The vaccine will cause the immune system to mount a defense against the harmless vaccine,  defense that will be effective if the actual disease organism is encountered because the vaccine will be similar to actual pathogen.

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