Module 4: The Primary and Secondary Immune Response

These free OCR A Level Biology The Primary and Secondary Immune Response revision notes have been written for specification point 4.1.1(g).

  1. Communicable Diseases
  2. Plant Defences Against Pathogens
  3. Non-Specific Defences in Animals
  4. White Blood Cells and Secondary Defences
  5. The Primary and Secondary Immune Response
  6. Immunity
  7. Antibodies
  8. Autoimmune Diseases
  9. Vaccination and Epidemics
  10. Developing New Medicines
  11. Antibiotics and Their Use
  12. Biodiversity
  13. Conserving Biodiversity
  14. Measuring Biodiversity
  15. Measuring Genetic Biodiversity
  16. Variation
  17. Causes of Variation
  18. Adaptations
  19. Natural Selection
  20. Evolution and Speciation
  21. Evidence for Natural Selection
  22. Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace
  23. Classification and Phylogenetics
The Primary and Secondary Immune Response

The first exposure to a pathogen is called the primary response, and subsequent exposures are known as a secondary response:

  • Primary response: Characterised by a delay in, slower rate of, and lower overall total concentration of antibody production.
  • Secondary response: Characterised by a rapid, high rate of, and higher overall total concentration of antibody production.

Exposure to a pathogen, or its antigens, could be from infection or vaccination.

Memory cells are produced by T killer cells and plasma cells, allowing new T killer and plasma cells to be produced faster upon reexposure.

The graph below visualises the difference between the primary and secondary response:

Graph of antibody concentration in the primary and secondary immune response - OCR A Level Biology revision
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