Specialized form of immunity involving antibodies and lymphocytes. Active immunity develops after exposure to a suitable agent (e.g., by an attack of a disease or by injection of antigens), and passive immunity occurs with transfer of antibody or lymphocytes from an immune donor.
The major component of the immune system associated with the formation of antibodies and specialized blood cells that are capable of destroying pathogens.
An immunity which a body acquires from having caught a disease or from immunisation, not one which is congenital.
Any form of immunity (insusceptibility to a particular disease) not innate but obtained during life. It may be natural, actively acquired by the development of antibodies after an attack of an infectious disease (e.g., chicken pox) or passively acquired, as when a mother passes antibodies against a specific disease to a fetus through the placenta or to an infant through colostrum, or it be may be artificial, acquired through vaccination.
Immunity that results either from exposure to an antigen or from the passive injection of immunoglobulins.
Immunity that the body develops after overcoming a disease, through inoculation (such as flu vaccinations), or through exposure to natural allergens, such as pollen, cat dander, and ragweed.
Naturally acquired immunity, also known as active immunity, is a type of immune protection that develops after birth as a result of exposure to microorganisms or through the process of immunization.