e eventual recovery from the disease. As the response increases in strength over time, the infectious agents are slowly reduced in number until symptoms disappear and recovery is complete (Six 2001). The disease causing organisms contain proteins known as antigens, and the resulting immune response is multi-fold and includes the synthesis of proteins called antibodies. These proteins bind to the disease causing organisms and lead to their eventual destruction. Memory cells are produced in an immune response, and these are cells which remain in the blood stream ready to activate and immune response against subsequent infections with the particular disease-causing agent (Six 2001). This response is so rapid that if the host comes in contact with the disease the infection never develops, you are immune from infection (Six 2001).The antibodies are the key to the vaccination process because they stick to things. Anti bodies (also called immunoglobulins) are the predominate form of immunity induced by most vaccines (How Do Antibodies 2001). The fact that antibodies stick to things alone can disrupt a lot of pathogen’s functions. The process of a virus infecting a cell can be pretty delicate, and having a big blob of protein hanging off the virus can be enough to block this fine tuned procedure. Especially if the antibodies recognize different parts of a virus, that way you can get twenty antibodies covering the surface of the virus which pretty much will prevent it from doing anything (How Do Antibodies 2001). Antibodies also have some more active functions. Like, after they are bound, some of the antibody subtypes become activated. When activated they trigger a series of events in their general area which will result in inflammation, and generally make that area inhospitable to bacteria and some viruses (How Do Antibodies 2001). Antibodies also increase the efficiency of phagocytosis (the procedure by which cells engulf an...
