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immunity
(ĭ-muŽnĭ-te)
the condition of being immune; the protection against infectious disease conferred either by the immune response generated by immunization or previous infection or by other nonimmunologic factors. It encompasses the capacity to distinguish
foreign material from self, and to neutralize, eliminate, or metabolize that which is foreign (nonself) by the physiologic mechanisms of the immune response. When a foreign substance enters the body and the body recognizes it as nonself, complex chemical and mechanical activities are set into motion to defend and protect the body's cells and tissues. The foreign
substance, usually a protein, is called an antigen, that is, one that generates the production of an antagonist. The most common response to the antigen is the production of
antibody. The antigen-antibody reaction is an essential component of the overall immune response. A second type of activity, cellular response, is also an essential
component.
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