Source: MedLinePlus Magazine (NIH)1
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B cells have two major functions: They present antigens to T cells, and more importantly, they produce antibodies to neutralize infectious microbes. Antibodies coat the surface of a pathogen and serve three major roles: neutralization, opsonization, and complement activation.
Neutralization occurs when the pathogen, because it is covered in antibodies, is unable to bind and infect host cells. In opsonization, an antibody-bound pathogen serves as a red flag to alert immune cells like neutrophils and macrophages, to engulf and digest the pathogen. Complement is a process for directly destroying, or lysing, bacteria.
Source: NIAID (NIH)2
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- Source: MedLinePlus Magazine (NIH): medlineplus.gov/ magazine/ issues/ summer08/ articles/ summer08pg7-8.html
- Source: NIAID (NIH): niaid.nih.gov/ topics/ immuneSystem/ Pages/ immuneCells.aspx
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