Antigens & Antibodies

Medical Interventions

Antigen

• An antigen is any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it.

• An antigen may be a foreign substance from the environment such as chemicals, bacteria, viruses, or pollen. (Exogenous)

• An antigen may also be formed within the body, as with bacterial toxins or tissue cells. (Endogenous)

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002224.htm

• Antigens are macromolecules that elicit an immune response in the body. Antigens can be

• Proteins • Polysaccharides • Conjugates of proteins and polysaccharides• Conjugates of lipids with – proteins (lipoproteins)– polysaccharides (glycolipids).

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AntigenPresentation.html

http://faculty.matcmadison.edu/mljensen/bloodbank/lectures/blood_bank_antigens_and_antibodi.htm

Blood Cell Antigens

http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/blood/bloodtypes.cfmhttp://rhincompatibility.wordpress.com/understanding-the-rh-blood-group-system/

Antibodies

• An antibody is a protein produced by the body's immune system when it detects harmful substances, called antigens. Examples of antigens include microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses) and chemicals.

• Antibodies are also produced when the immune system mistakenly considers healthy tissue a harmful substance. (Autoimmune disorders)

• Each type of antibody is unique and defends the body against one specific type of antigen.http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002223.htm

Antibody Model

http://www.michigananimalhospital.com/page/452419682

Antibodies

http://www.ortho-wire.com/en/

Antigen-Antibody Interaction

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobookimmun.html

Agglutination

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/agglutination

http://www.biologymad.com/master.html?http://www.biologymad.com/immunology/immunology.htm