Fish Immunology (1+1)

Unit 10 - Immunological Memory

10.1. Introduction
The immune system to work successfully it must recognize a large number of microorganisms and molecules that it has never seen before, and it must decide how to respond to them. It should also differentiate between self and non self antigens such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and toxins. The body to defend itself against non self specific invading pathogen it has developed a resistance referred as immunity. Immunity have a memory for most invading pathogens invaded before, and for this invading pathogen they form memory cells that can last for decades. During the second invasion the immune system remembers pathogen it has seen before leading the rapid proliferation of memory cells and stimulates the release of antibodies. These antibodies are capable of eliminating the pathogens before disease occurs reffered as immunological memory. It is also proved that in vertebrates exposed to antigens in early life has resistance for the same antigen causing illness later. The concept of vaccination is based on immunological memory.