gamma globulin

American  

noun

Immunology.

1. a protein fraction of blood plasma that responds to stimulation of antigens, as bacteria or viruses, by forming antibodies: administered therapeutically in the treatment of some viral diseases.

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gamma globulin British  

noun

1. any of a group of proteins in blood plasma that includes most known antibodies

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gamma globulin Scientific  

1. A class of globulins in the blood plasma of humans and other mammals that function as part of the body's immune system and include most antibodies.

2. A solution of this substance prepared from human blood and administered for immunization against measles, German measles, hepatitis A, and other infections.

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Etymology

Origin of gamma globulin

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

gamma globulin

We were herded into hastily set-up clinics to get shots of gamma globulin, which was thought to boost our immune systems.

From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2024

Two Minnesota counties were early test sites for pre-Salk gamma globulin vaccines, which had a big clinical trial in the early 1950s but were eventually proved ineffective.

From Slate ● Nov. 26, 2021

A request for Globaline water-purifying tablets, for example, yielded instead a large shipment of gamma globulin, a huge and costly waste of that human blood product.

From New York Times ● Sep. 26, 2011

I wasn't well yet – I was taking steroids and gamma globulin.

From The Guardian ● Jan. 23, 2011

The gamma globulin fraction from the serum in these blood samples is rich in rabies antibody, and because it is from human serunr it should cause no bad reactions.

From Time Magazine Archive