The actions of antibody are many and varied. Antibodies can act
independently of the rest of the immune system or they can work
to help immune cells and other products recognize a pathogenic
threat and work in cooperation to remove the danger. / IgG
response to pathogens When a foreign antigen enters the body and
elicits an antibody response there is a certain set protocol
that B cells and antibody production follows. If the invading
pathogen has antibodies that the body has never seen before, it
takes a little time for the B cells to get their act together.
There is a time lag between the first presentation of the
antigen to B cells and their proliferation and differentiation
into antibody producing plasma cells. The time lag may last
several hours to several days depending on what type of antigen
is presented. The first antibody type produced by B cells is
IgM. Once production begins it rises exponentially, rapidly
increasing the responsive antibody concentration in the blood
serum. Several hours after the