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Active, Passive, Natural and Artificial Immunity

AQA AS-level BiologyCell Recognition and the Immune SystemLesson 20 of 30

Passive immunity is the introduction of antibodies into an individual.

The antibodies will have been produced externally and as soon as the individuals are injected with the antibodies the individual would acquire immunity immediately whereas active immunity takes time (usually several weeks) to develop.

However, passive immunity lasts only for a few weeks or months as the antibodies are eventually destroyed. Only active immunity is long-lasting

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Key terms in this lesson

antibody
A Y-shaped protein, made of four polypeptide chains with variable regions complementary to a specific antigen, produced by B plasma cells.

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