Definition

Noun: 1. A specific biological response by the immune system: An immune reaction is the process by which the body's immune system recognizes a foreign or harmful substance (an antigen) and mounts a defense against it. This defense typically involves the production of specialized proteins called antibodies and the activation of immune cells.

Usage

The term "immune reaction" describes the body's defensive process as a whole. It is often used in medical, biological, and general health contexts. * It is commonly modified by adjectives describing its type or intensity (e.g., normal, excessive, autoimmune, allergic). * It can be the subject or object of verbs like trigger, cause, provoke, suppress, or modulate.

Examples

• The vaccine works by stimulating an immune reaction that prepares the body to fight the real virus.
• A severe allergic response is an example of an overactive immune reaction.
• In an autoimmune disease, the body's immune reaction is mistakenly directed against its own tissues.
• Doctors monitored the patient for any signs of an adverse immune reaction to the new medication.

Advanced Usage

• Cell-mediated immune reaction: This refers to an immune response that does not primarily involve antibodies but is instead carried out by specific immune cells, such as T-cells, which directly attack infected or abnormal cells.
• Humoral immune reaction: This refers to an immune response that is mediated by antibodies found in bodily fluids (or "humors"), such as blood plasma and lymph.

Variants and Related Words

• Immune response: This is a direct synonym and is often used interchangeably with "immune reaction."
• Immunoreaction: A less common, more technical term with the same meaning.
• Immunity (n.): The state of being protected from a particular disease, often as a result of a prior immune reaction.
• Immunological (adj.): Relating to immunology or the immune system (e.g., ).

Synonyms

• Immune response
• Immunological response

Related Phrases and Concepts

• Antigen-antibody reaction: A more specific term for the binding event between an antigen and its corresponding antibody, which is a key part of many immune reactions.
• Hypersensitivity reaction: A medical term for an excessive or undesirable immune reaction, such as an allergy.
• To mount an immune reaction/reponse: A common verb collocation describing the initiation of this biological process.

Noun

1. a bodily defense reaction that recognizes an invading substance (an antigen: such as a virus or fungus or bacteria or transplanted organ) and produces antibodies specific against that antigen