IMMUNE RESPONSE Definition & Meaning

immune response

noun

any of the body's immunologic reactions to an antigen.

immune response

noun

the reaction of an organism's body to foreign materials (antigens), including the production of antibodies

immune response

/ ĭ-��̅��̅��′ /

A protective response of the body's immune system to an antigen, especially a microorganism or virus that causes disease. The immune response involves the action of lymphocytes that deactivate antigens either by stimulating the production of antibodies (humoral immune response) or by a direct attack on foreign cells (cell-mediated immune response.) An inability to produce a normal immune response results in immunodeficiency diseases such as AIDS.
See also cell-mediated immune response

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51�Թ� History and Origins

Origin of immune response¹

First recorded in 1950–55

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The measles virus is attenuated in the MMR vaccine, meaning that it has been altered to produce the appropriate immune response without triggering the disease itself.

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“Seasonal vaccines will not provide the same diversity of immune response as natural infection and unlikely to provide the same level of protection,” said Lakdawala, who is testing this issue in the lab.

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Over the past three years, thousands of litres of blood from donors across England has been stored and now it has been turned into immunoglobulin, which helps the body's immune response.

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Once the immune response subsides, the attack wanes – but the body still needs time, medical care, and support to repair the damage.

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Rather, the brain’s immune response contributes to neuroinflammation and increased accretion of amyloid and tau, which in turn leads to neurodegeneration.

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