After first exposure to an antigen, it can take about three weeks for antibodies to reach a detectable level. The body will react to disease by creating antibodies and testing their effectiveness against the unknown antigen.
Antibodies are the body's way of fighting off foreign threats. Also known as immunoglobulin, they detect and attack pathogenic bacteria and viruses. These antibodies detect a protein that is unique to the surface of the pathogen called the antigen.
At times, we can see an increase in antibodies for one disease, for example, <em>Lyme disease</em>, in the presence of <em><u>non-Lyme disease antigens.</u></em> This is often due to antigenic variation, which is a method used by pathogens to mask their respective antigens. There are also general use antibodies that will increase in reaction to any pathogen.
As with any illness, a patient who receives treatment sooner will fare better than those whose treatment is delayed. This is due to the fact that earlier treatment with antibiotics will allow the body to fight off the infection before the bacteria can reproduce further.
After the first immune response, antigen-specific antibodies will remain for some time to provide the body with "immunity" to the pathogen, while <u>general-purpose antibodies will return to a base value. </u>
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