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I know that not all antigens are immunogenic, but if something is pathogenic is it by definition also immunogenic?
immunogenic and pathogenic
- Thread starter dyspareunia
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Prions are pathogenic, but are weakly--or not even--immunogenic. That's one exception I can think of.
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Pathogenic = causes disease
Immunogenic = causes immune response
So by that definition, pathogens that do not cause an immune response or manage to evade it are not supposed to be immunogenic in humans.
Prions are a great example. Another one could perhaps be some parasites like Naegleria fowleri that successfully evade the immune response, even though some research apparently suggests that there is 'some level of response' to much more bugs than previously though, it's just that it isn't good enough to fight the infection.
Immunogenic = causes immune response
So by that definition, pathogens that do not cause an immune response or manage to evade it are not supposed to be immunogenic in humans.
Prions are a great example. Another one could perhaps be some parasites like Naegleria fowleri that successfully evade the immune response, even though some research apparently suggests that there is 'some level of response' to much more bugs than previously though, it's just that it isn't good enough to fight the infection.
