antibody

[chencxm]

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Once antibodies are made, do they stay in the circulation even after the disease is subdued or are they degraded by the liver? Will someone be detected to have anti-X antibody if he previously had the disease but is cured does not have the antigen X now in his body?

 

[Charles_Carmichael]

Antibodies do decay after both a primary and secondary response. The rate of decay would determine whether or not you'll find Abs in the serum long after clearance of the infection. For example, the decline phase (where antibody is degraded) after a secondary response could last for months to years, so you're likely to find some Abs in the serum long after the infection has been cleared. This rate of decay is slower than in the primary response.

 

[triplebeing]

Antibodies do decay after both a primary and secondary response. The rate of decay would determine whether or not you'll find Abs in the serum long after clearance of the infection. For example, the decline phase (where antibody is degraded) after a secondary response could last for months to years, so you're likely to find some Abs in the serum long after the infection has been cleared. This rate of decay is slower than in the primary response.

From what I know...the antibodies never "disappear" from your body. They might reduce to very infinitesimal amounts.

 

[OPPforlife]

From what I know...the antibodies never "disappear" from your body. They might reduce to very infinitesimal amounts. Some of them decay faster than each other...that explains why you are required to get flu shots once every year while you only need 2 rubella vaccine shots.

well after exposure to any antigen certain lymphocytes turn in to memory cells ready for the production of more antibodies. I know this is a fact. so based on this fact I would imagine that at some point or another another anti bodies do get degraded, or else what would be the point behind memory cells?
the reason why a second exposure is short lived is because the body already has memory cells, which can readily produce more antibodies.