PATHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Antibodies help the body to fight microbes or the toxins (poisons) they produce. They do this by recognising substances called antigens on the surface of the microbe, or in the chemicals they produce, which mark the microbe or toxin as being foreign. The antibodies then mark these antigens for destruction.

Detailed explanation-2: -Antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system in response to infection. They are an important part of the body’s defence system as they work to destroy disease-causing organisms (such as viruses or bacteria) and block them from infecting human cells.

Detailed explanation-3: -1) Antibodies are secreted into the blood and mucosa, where they bind to and inactivate foreign substances such as pathogens and toxins (neutralization). 2) Antibodies activate the complement system to destroy bacterial cells by lysis (punching holes in the cell wall).

Detailed explanation-4: -Examples of antibody functions include neutralization of infectivity, phagocytosis, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), and complement-mediated lysis of pathogens or of infected cells.