Antibody Function

Antibodies work in various ways to stop pathogens from causing damage to cells.

Agglutination.

Antibodies bind to antigens on pathogens and cause the cells to clump together in one place so they are less spread out within the body.

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pathogen: A microorganism, such as a virus, bacterium, fungus or protoctist, that causes disease.
antigen: A protein or glycoprotein, usually on a cell surface, that is recognised as foreign by the immune system and triggers an immune response.
antibody: A Y-shaped protein, made of four polypeptide chains with variable regions complementary to a specific antigen, produced by B plasma cells.