Day 91 of 365
April 1
H
Health The Immune System's Memory
Your immune system remembers pathogens through specialized memory B and T cells that persist for years or decades after infection. These cells enable rapid, strong responses upon re-exposure, providing immunity. Vaccines work by training this memory without causing disease. Some immunity lasts a lifetime while other pathogens like influenza mutate rapidly, requiring new vaccines. Understanding immunological memory enabled one of medicine's greatest achievements.
Did you know?
Some people have immunity to diseases they've never encountered because antibodies for one pathogen can recognize similar ones - called cross-reactivity!
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