immune response

noun

1. any of the body's immunologic reactions to an antigen.

immune response

noun

1. the reaction of an organism's body to foreign materials (antigens), including the production of antibodies

immune response

1. A protective response of the body's immune system to an antigen, especially a microorganism or virus that causes disease. The immune response involves the action of lymphocytes that deactivate antigens either by stimulating the production of antibodies (humoral immune response) or by a direct attack on foreign cells (cell-mediated immune response.) An inability to produce a normal immune response results in immunodeficiency diseases such as AIDS.

2. See also cell-mediated immune response humoral immune response

Word History and Origins

Origin of immune response¹

First recorded in 1950–55