Explain why it is an advantage that the immune system produces antibodies specific for certain antigens?

Question

rather than antibodies that work against any and all antigens.

Answer 1

Stephanie,

Well, the answer is a little complicated, but essentially it's:

1. Do you want your immune system to work?

2. Do you want it to attack yourself?

If your answers are
1. Yes
and
2. No,

Then you have to have an immune system that will attack foreign infectives and not just anything, like yourself.

Those people with immune systems that do attack themselves have conditions called "autoimmune diseases" like rheumatoid arthritis, Type 1 diabetes, lupus, and Addison's Disease. None of these are fun.

So your immune system must be able to identify only certain proteins in order to avoid killing your own cells. These proteins are all very different, since the viruses or bacteria develop them on their own, and often they change. We know that viruses and bacteria mutate, we've seen them do so, and diseases pop up unexpectedly because of it. The Spanish flu in 1918 and the Black Plague in 1346 are two examples of mutated diseases.

Our bodies simply cannot be ready for diseases that do not yet exist and may never do so. They must be exposed to real disease agents in order to develop a real defense against them.

Here's a quick explanation of how our immune system works:

The two major kinds of immune cells are B cells (because they mature in the bones) and T cells (because they mature in the thymus gland).

The B cells become plasma cells and produce antibodies that attach themselves to foreign cells and viruses to "mark" them for destruction by other cells.

The number of antigens is very large, as is the number of antibodies. It is good that the antibodies are so specific, because with the high number of antibodies and the proteins invoved in our immune response, if they weren't so specific they'd be attacking our own cells and destroying many that we'd want to keep.

Ther are several types of T cells, some of them regulate our imune response, some do the actual destroying of foreign cells, some engulf the invader and place some of it's surface proteins on its own surface so other T cells will kill the invader.

Everything on earth does that. Plants must fight molds, fungi, and bacteria, and animals must fight fungi, viruses, and, and bacteria. Everything must fight something, and the way that we fight agents that infect us is by being exposed to them. Otherwise, as active and destructive as our inmmune cells can be, they'd attack us.

We probably don't want that.

Answer 2

Antibiotics do not have an effect on viruses as viruses hide within a cell, thus being unaffected by the action of antibiotics. In the case of antibodies, the antibodies combine with the virus's receptors and destroy it. The antibodies are produced by a vaccine (that is, a milder and weaker form of the virus which stimulates the immune system to produce the specific antibodies).

Answer 3

Try Xango for your immune system health. Xango is a natural anti-oxident and anti-inflammatory.

1. Viruses invade the nuclei of cells and corrupt the genetic instructions. Infected cells are converted into virus-producing factories and are destroyed in the process.
2.Bacteria thrive in the fluids found between the cells and produce toxins which kill cells.
3.Fungi smother cells, feeding off both the intercellular fluids and cells themselves.

Our body's immune system miraculously orchestrates a complex defence system against pathogenic invaders.White blood cells seek out and destroy pathogens in many ways. For example, T-lymphocytes (or killer T cells) destroy all types of pathogens and cancer cells. To understand how active the immune system is,note that 1 Billion CD4 T Lymphocytes turn over daily!
Another type of white cell called a Phagocyte is like a minature Pac-man which literally destroys invaders by eating them. Still a 3rd group of white cells recognises the unique shape of various pathogenic viruses, bacteria etc. and creates antibodies which will lock up in a death grip with the microbes like2 Sumo wrestlers.This process prevents the invaders from interacting with anything else in the body.These antibodies also 'tag' the invaders so phogocytes can destroy them.

However, the immune system is weak at various times in our life (such as in infancy and old age), and is affected by nutrition,pollution and many other enviromental factors (like the radiation found in sunlight). That is why diet,exercise and supplements to support and bolster the immune system play crucial roles in keeping our bodies healthy and strong.
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Answer 4

because these specific antibodies can work more effectively against its corresponding antigen...if there was one general antibody it would be the same as having only one drug in the whole world to treat every condition and disease!!!