How Do Antibodies Work?

What Are Antibodies?

Antibodies are part of the human immune system. Basically, they identify bad bacteria and viruses and track them down to fight back.

Information

Antibodies are not always in full force in the body. When the body is invaded by anything unfamiliar, the body produces antibodies to fight it off. The antibodies recognize their target and attack it relentlessly until they rid the body of the unfamiliar substance. The problem with this is that antibodies can sometimes fight off medical therapy treatments, making the treatment less effective.

How They Work

When a pathogen, or a microorganism that makes a person ill, enters the body, the antibodies jump into action to fight them off. There are three different ways that antibodies do this. One is they bind themselves directly to the pathogen, which cuts off the pathogen's ties with other cells in the body. That directly neutralizes the pathogen. Also, antibodies can bind and cover the pathogen so phagocytic cells can recognize it. The phagocytic cells, also part of the body's immune system, devour the cell once it is recognized as an enemy. The final way antibodies work is by binding to a pathogen and simulating a series of events to help the phagocytic cell recognize the pathogen.