PRODUCTION OF ANTIBODIES

Abstract

Part of the normal production of immunoglobulin undoubtedly represents the response to antigenic stimulation that happens continually, but even animals raised in surroundings completely free from microbes and their products make substantial, though lesser, amounts of immunoglobulin. Much of the immunoglobulin therefore must represent the product of all the B cells that are, so to speak, “ticking over” even if not specifically stimulated. It is therefore not surprising that extremely sensitive methods can detect traces of antibodies that react with antigenic determinants to which an animal has never been exposed but for which cells with receptors are present.