Do You Know How Active and Passive Immunity Work to Keep You Healthy?

Passive immunity refers to the creation of immunity by introducing antibodies from outside the organism, such as the injection of antivenom after having been bitten by a snake.

There are several immunity categories:

• Nonspecific defenses: these work against all foreign matter and pathogens
• Specific defenses: these are specialized in fighting against particular threats
• Innate immunity: natural immunity that protects one from birth until death
• Acquired immunity: it is the third line of defense, which offers protection against specific types of pathogens.

• The need to be exposed to a pathogen or to the antigen of a pathogen, which leads to the production of antibodies
• The cells involved are of three types: T cells, B cells and anti-presenting cells
• Immunity is acquired after several exposures to the antigen
• Active immunity can last up to an entire life
• This type of immunity can cause at most some autoimmune disease and allergies, however, there are no issues generally.

Among the features of passive immunity, the most known are:

• This type of immunity does not require exposure to antigen or to an infectious agent
• The response to an infectious agent is immediate
• The immunity is effective on short term
• The so-called 'serum sickness' is one of the effects of the exposure to antisera.