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submit a 1750 words paper on the topic What Is An Antibody Antibodies And The Immune System

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submit a 1750 words paper on the topic What Is An Antibody Antibodies And The Immune System. Thus, the body has a system of armies that fight against infections, amongst them being the antibody (Cairo & Weiner, 2002 p56). Despite the body having different types of infection fighting agents, they have been specialized differently, such that each agent has an area of specialization, regarding the type of infection it fights and the regions from where it operates. Most significant is the differentiating fact between the antibody and other disease fighting agents in the body. While some disease fighting agents are localized in certain regions or organs of the body, the antibody keeps moving around the entire body, while seeking to counter any form of infection that the body could have encountered (Borghesi, 2006 p27). Thus, this discussion seeks to understand what is an antibody?, with a view to establishing its location in the body, the role it plays, the amount of the antibody found in the human body and how the antibody executes its protection functions in the body. The process through which the antibody moves in the body, its adaptation to its protection function and how the antibody is generated in the body also forms the subject of this discussion. Definition of an antibody An antibody is a protein substance that is large and designed in a Y-shape, which identifies, surrounds and binds foreign substances in the body, such as the bacteria or viruses, so that they can be destroyed and removed from the body (Buchner, Feige & Hendershot, 2000 p192). Therefore, it is worth noting that antibodies do not play the actual role of destroying the foreign substances that may cause infection to the body, but rather recognizes, identifies, surrounds and binds such foreign substances, sending a signal to the other body fighting mechanism regarding the presence of foreign bodies. This prompts the body disease fighting mechanism to respond by sending scavenger cells to the region where the antibodies have surrounded and bound the foreign bodies, to destroy them and then flush them out of the body (Campbell, 1984 p22). Generation of antibodies in the human body The human immune system consists of a variety of disease fighting agents. While the whole immune system comprises of the organs, tissues and specialized cells, there are other disease fighting agents, which are found in the form of proteins or vitamins (Kontermann & Dubel, 2010 p72). The agents that invade and cause infection to the body are called the antigens. When the immune system discovers the presence of the antigens in the body, it triggers the cells to respond, by triggering the B lymphocytes (plasma cells) to develop and release antibodies, which then identifies, surrounds and binds the foreign substances, keeping them ready for destruction and removal out of the body (Borghesi, 2006 p29). The manufacture and release of the antibodies is wholesomely done by a form of white blood cells known as the plasma cells, which are found within the lymphocytes (Macpherson, 2011 p107). classes of antibodies Antibodies are found in different forms within the body, where every type is specialized to operate with certain regions of the body, dealing with specific body tissues. These different types are called classes or isotopes (Buchner, Feige & Hendershot, 2000 p195). In the mammals, a group within which human beings fall, the body has five types of antibodies: IgA This is the first class of the antibodies, which is mainly found in the mucosal areas (Weeks & Alcamo, 2008 p17).