Glossary of Terms Flashcards
highest dilution factor of a sample that still results a visible reaction (agglutination)
Antibody titer
sum total binding strength between an antigen & antibody
avidity
- antibody capable of causing agglutination with multivalent surface antigens
- belongs to IgM class
agglutinin
- a protein not normally present in human blood but is present in a wide variety of inflammatory reactions
- characterized by their ability to react with the C-polysaccharide component of pneumococci
C-reactive protein
- “secondary immune response”
- “booster response”
- a rapid rise in the immunoglobulin concentration following a subsequent exposure to antigen
anamnestic response
- an antibody produced against streptolysin O
- streptolysin O: hemolysin prodcued by group A streptococci
Antistreptolysin O (ASO)
an adjuvant commonly added to human vaccines
alum
- process of attachment of one substance to the surface of another
- attachment of an antibody to a specific antigen receptors on a cell surface
adsorption
aggregation or clumping of cellular or particulate antigens to its corresponding antisera containing antibodies
agglutination
a particulate or cellular antigen involved in agglutination/aggregation
agglutinogen
- “cluster of differentiation”
- cell surface markers that are employed for immunophenotyping of cells particularly lymphocytes
Cluster of designation (CD)
- agglutinins that belong to the IgM class
- active at 4º C but not at 37º C
Cold agglutinins
ability of a substance to react with immune products
antigenicty
- normal serum constituents that increase or decrease in the presence of infection, injury, or trauma to tissues
- associated with inflammatory reactions
Acute phase proteins
immunity that is dependent on T-cells and phagocytic cells
Cell mediated immunity
an antigen that triggers an allergic/hypersensitivity reaction
allergen