A Brief Overview of Antibodies and Antibody Testing – Immunize El Paso TX
Immunize El Paso TX – No doubt you have heard a lot about antibodies over the last year, as the world has grappled with the coronavirus pandemic. Antibodies have been studied for a long time, but most recently as related to COVID-19, as researchers have sought ways to engage them in treating the disease that develops after a coronavirus infection. Read on for a brief overview of antibodies and antibody testing.
DEFINING ANTIBODIES
Antibodies are Y-shaped proteins naturally created inside the body. They help to stop viruses (as well as bacteria, fungi, or parasites), called antigens, from spreading throughout the body. Scientists and medical professionals are investigating these complex, but powerful molecules as they try to address sickness and disease; the most recent focus on antibodies has been in response to COVID-19. They are interested in antibodies because these specialized proteins can recognize viruses in the body as foreign invaders and then trigger the body to take action against the virus to protect itself.
Antibodies function as part of the adaptive immune system of the human body—they are the main elements of this system. (The adaptive immune system helps to identify and eliminate foreign pathogens that attack the body and cause infection or disease, and then remember those pathogens in case of a future infection.) Antibodies target antigens like viruses in the body and bind to parts of those viruses when identified. They coat the antigens to keep the virus from entering the body’s cells; blocking entry helps prevent the virus from causing infection and/or inhibits an active virus from causing more significant illness.
ABOUT ANTIBODY TESTING
Antibody tests are used to detect whether a specific quantity of an antibody to a specific antigen has been produced in the body; if detectable amounts are present, doctors can tell if that person was infected by that specific antigen in the past. Antibody tests can help identify people who may have been infected with a virus like the novel coronavirus or suffered from COVID-19.
Usually, people take antibody tests several weeks—two weeks or more most of the time—after being exposed to a virus or other pathogen. This is because the human body has to build up enough detectable antibodies in response to any antigens, which takes time. COVID-19 antibody tests can expose spike proteins of the novel coronavirus in someone who has had COVID-19 in the past.
Modern MD, PLLC is the health and wellness family practice of Dr. Patricia Lopez-Po, MD, serving communities in El Paso, Texas, and New Mexico. At her family medical center located on the west side of El Paso, and via home visits, Dr. Lopez-Po provides holistic medical care and wellness treatments to her patients; she focuses on the whole patient and provides continuous primary care (with specialty services as needed). She offers a variety of medical care services including COVID-19 testing, as well as several aesthetic and cosmetic services. Contact Dr. Lopez-Po online, or call 915-228-3080 to schedule an appointment.