Introduction and basic info about antigens and antibodies.

1. Antigens & Antibodies
Medical Interventions

2. Antigen
• An antigen is any substance that causes
your immune system to produce antibodies
against it.
• An antigen may be a foreign substance from
the environment such as chemicals,
bacteria, viruses, or pollen. (Exogenous)
• An antigen may also be formed within the
body, as with bacterial toxins or tissue cells.
(Endogenous)
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002224.htm

3. • Antigens are macromolecules that elicit an
immune response in the body. Antigens can
be
• Proteins
• Polysaccharides
• Conjugates of proteins and polysaccharides
• Conjugates of lipids with
– proteins (lipoproteins)
– polysaccharides (glycolipids).
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/A/AntigenPresentation.html

4. http://faculty.matcmadison.edu/mljensen/bloodbank/lectures/blood_bank_antigens_and_antibodi.htm

5. Blood Cell Antigens
http://www.netwellness.org/healthtopics/blood/bloodtypes.cfm
http://rhincompatibility.wordpress.com/understanding-the-rh-blood-group-
system/

6. Antibodies
• An antibody is a protein produced by the body's
immune system when it detects harmful substances,
called antigens. Examples of antigens include
microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, parasites, and
viruses) and chemicals.
• Antibodies are also produced when the immune
system mistakenly considers healthy tissue a harmful
substance. (Autoimmune disorders)
• Each type of antibody is unique and defends the body
against one specific type of antigen.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002223.htm

7. Antibody Model
http://www.michigananimalhospital.com/page/452419682

8. Antibodies
http://www.ortho-wire.com/en/

9. Antigen-Antibody Interaction
http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/biobk/biobookimmun.html

10. Agglutination
http://medical-dictionary.
thefreedictionary.com/agglutination
http://www.biologymad.com/master.html?http://www.biologym
ad.com/immunology/immunology.htm