d destroy particles). When a cell bumps into another particle, it needs some kind of signal to tell it whether it should engulf and destroy it or whether it is a useful component of the body. If the particle had an antibody stuck to it, then that cell would take that as a signal to engulf and destroy it (How Do Antibodies 2001). Antibodies do tend to be relatively ineffective if they’re low in concentrations; they are somewhat less effective at clearing an already-established infection. This particularly pertains to viral infections because the virus rapidly enters a cell and is more or less hidden from the antibody; this is less true for a bacterial infection because bacteria are more likely to hang out outside a cell (How Do Antibodies 2001). Does this mean that antibodies are useless in the case of a viral infection? No necessarily! Many viruses must enter the humoral space (those fluids which are outside the cells of the body) when they leave one cell and enter the next, then they are vulnerable to antibodies. All viruses must be present in the humoral space at one point: when they first enter the body, and it is at this time that the virus is most vulnerable. The virus hasn’t yet had time to replicate, so there are fewer particles there. This is why antibodies (even if they aren’t effective at clearing an already established infection) can be extremely effective at preventing an infection (How Do Antibodies 2001).Here is a run down of a vaccination process:1. The vaccine is given by a shot or liquid by mouth. Most vaccines contain a weak or dead disease germ (How Do Vaccines 2001).2. The body makes antibodies to fight the weak or dead germs in the vaccine (How Do Vaccines 2001).3. These antibodies practice on the weak germs, so when the real disease germs come the antibodies will know how to destroy them (How Do Vaccines 2001).4. Protective antibodies stay on guard in the body to safeguard it from the r...
