Antibodies are produced by the immune system in response to antigens (material perceived as foreign. The antibody response to a particular antigen is highly specific and often involves a physical association between the two molecules. This association...

Antigenic mimicry is the sharing of antigenic sites between microorganisms and mammalian tissue. An immune response can be directed both at the microorganism and at the host site that shares the antigenic determinant. This autoimmune response due to...

Foreign substance in the body that induces an immune response. The antigen stimulates lymphocytes to produce antibodies or to attack the antigen directly (&see; antibody;immunity). Virtually any large foreign molecule can act as an antigen, including...

A foreign substance, usually a protein, capable of stimulating an antibody response for body defense. Any substance that, when introduced parenterally into an individual lacking the substance, stimulates the production of an antibody that, when mixed...

Any substance (usually a foreign protein) that stimulates the production of ANTIBODIES. See also: ALLERGY;...

see immune...

An antigen or immunogen is a molecule that sometimes stimulates an immune response. The word originated from the notion that they can stimulate antibody generation. We now know that the immune system does not only consist of antibodies. The modern...