Mwalimu-G
Elder Lister
What Are Antibodies, And Do They Kill Viruses?
Terms and concepts to understand coronavirus antibody testing
by John Kelly, Senior Research Editor at Dictionary.com
Testing continues to be a major story—and concern—amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes diagnostic testing to determine if one is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. It also includes serological tests to determine if a person has antibodies that can signal immunity to COVID-19.
But what does serological mean, and what are antibodies, for that matter? As the coronavirus pandemic evolves, we know that vocabulary and concepts evolve with it. Continuing our mission to keep you informed and up-to-date, we’re providing a primer to very complicated topics, and terms, in immunology—complete with a handy glossary to all things antibodies at the end and some
What is immunity?
Before we can discuss antibodies, we need to take a big-picture look at the immune system. The immune system is an incredibly complex network of cells that identify and defend against foreign substances in your body. It includes the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes and lymph tissue, stem cells, white blood cells, antibodies, and lymphokines.
One major type of foreign substances the immune system fends off are pathogens: infectious agents, especially viruses and bacteria, that cause disease.
Your body has immunity when it is resistant to a particular disease. This immunity is usually indicated by the presence of a critical part of the immune system: antibodies.
Antibodies vs. antigens
Antibodies are special protein molecules that the immune system produces in response to antigens. And antigens are substances that can stimulate the body’s production of antibodies.
Now, there are different types of antigens, but, for our purposes here, let’s zoom in on foreign, disease-causing antigens. These are harmful substances that come from outside the body, such as from viruses or bacteria.
The body wants to fight antigens off, so it recognizes these substances and starts making antibodies. Antibodies are able to latch onto the antigens using a unique binding site, which then disables the invaders.
Put simply, the body makes antibodies to fend off germs and other harmful substances. And this process is part of the body’s immune response.
Learn more about this interconnected (and yes, confusing) pair of words, antibody and antigen, in our article “‘Antibiotic’ vs. ‘Abiotic’ vs. ‘Antibody’: What Is The Difference?”
How antibodies work
Antibodies are produced by B cells, also called B lymphocytes, which are made in bone marrow and found in the blood and lymph. Antibodies have a distinctive Y shape, which is key to how they work.
At the tips of antibodies are the unique sites where they bind with a matching site on antigens—and destroy them.
Abbreviated as Ab, antibodies are also referred to as immunoglobulins, abbreviated as Ig. Specifically, immunoglobulins are the special proteins that function as antibodies. They are found in plasma (the liquid part of blood and lymph), other body fluids, and in the membrane of certain cells.
Terms and concepts to understand coronavirus antibody testing
by John Kelly, Senior Research Editor at Dictionary.com
Testing continues to be a major story—and concern—amid the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes diagnostic testing to determine if one is infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. It also includes serological tests to determine if a person has antibodies that can signal immunity to COVID-19.
But what does serological mean, and what are antibodies, for that matter? As the coronavirus pandemic evolves, we know that vocabulary and concepts evolve with it. Continuing our mission to keep you informed and up-to-date, we’re providing a primer to very complicated topics, and terms, in immunology—complete with a handy glossary to all things antibodies at the end and some
What is immunity?
Before we can discuss antibodies, we need to take a big-picture look at the immune system. The immune system is an incredibly complex network of cells that identify and defend against foreign substances in your body. It includes the thymus, spleen, lymph nodes and lymph tissue, stem cells, white blood cells, antibodies, and lymphokines.
One major type of foreign substances the immune system fends off are pathogens: infectious agents, especially viruses and bacteria, that cause disease.
Your body has immunity when it is resistant to a particular disease. This immunity is usually indicated by the presence of a critical part of the immune system: antibodies.
Antibodies vs. antigens
Antibodies are special protein molecules that the immune system produces in response to antigens. And antigens are substances that can stimulate the body’s production of antibodies.
Now, there are different types of antigens, but, for our purposes here, let’s zoom in on foreign, disease-causing antigens. These are harmful substances that come from outside the body, such as from viruses or bacteria.
The body wants to fight antigens off, so it recognizes these substances and starts making antibodies. Antibodies are able to latch onto the antigens using a unique binding site, which then disables the invaders.
Put simply, the body makes antibodies to fend off germs and other harmful substances. And this process is part of the body’s immune response.
Learn more about this interconnected (and yes, confusing) pair of words, antibody and antigen, in our article “‘Antibiotic’ vs. ‘Abiotic’ vs. ‘Antibody’: What Is The Difference?”
How antibodies work
Antibodies are produced by B cells, also called B lymphocytes, which are made in bone marrow and found in the blood and lymph. Antibodies have a distinctive Y shape, which is key to how they work.
At the tips of antibodies are the unique sites where they bind with a matching site on antigens—and destroy them.
Abbreviated as Ab, antibodies are also referred to as immunoglobulins, abbreviated as Ig. Specifically, immunoglobulins are the special proteins that function as antibodies. They are found in plasma (the liquid part of blood and lymph), other body fluids, and in the membrane of certain cells.