The immune system remembers how to battle antigens from previous infections through the use of ______.

Question

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The immune system remembers how to battle antigens from previous infections through the use of antibodies. These Y-shaped molecules are produced by B cells and are specific to a particular antigen. Once the body has been exposed to a particular antigen, B cells produce memory cells that "remember" how to quickly produce the corresponding antibodies if re-exposed to the same antigen in the future. This is how vaccines work – by exposing the body to a non-threatening form of an antigen so that memory cells can be produced and the body is prepared to fight off the actual pathogen if encountered later.

The Immune System Remembers How to Battle Antigens from Previous