Hello,
Today's hot topic for explanation is Antigenic Variation
Antigenic variation means mechanism by which an infectious agent alters its surface proteins in order to evade a host immune response
In simple.......
Every infectious agents have an antigenic structure which binds to specific receptors in the cell . Also immune systems consists of memory cell which keeps record of the Ag causing disease and remember it whenever encountered second time. When an organism is exposed to a particular antigen an immune response is stimulated and antibodies are generated to target that specific antigen.
Hence this way pathogen cannot enter body to cause disease . But if so why do get from time to time You must have also heard people getting Malaria every year even after full treatment. So the reason is that some organisms have involved a new strategy called Antigenic Variation. Antigenic variation can occur by altering a variety of surface molecules including proteins and carbohydrates.
Importance of Antigenic variation for microorganisms
- Enables immune evasion by pathogens
- Allows the microbes to cause re-infection, as their antigens are no longer recognized by the host's immune system.
- Antigenic variation has serious health consequences , for example the current HIV pandemic and looming influenza pandemic, as well as significant challenge to developing vaccine capable of eliciting long-lasting protective immunity against several pathogens.
You can have a look at this cartoon
-Dixy
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