|
Immunology => Immune System => Gamma Globulin
Gamma Globulin
Gamma Globulin, mixture of proteins in plasma, the fluid portion of blood. It contains antibodies produced in the liver, spleen, bone marrow, and lymph glands to protect the body from invading viruses or bacteria. Its chemical structure was determined in 1969, an important advance in the knowledge of immunity. Each disease antigen (invading protein) stimulates production of a specific antibody, which circulates in the blood for a period of time. Since the gamma globulin contains these antibodies, it is sometimes taken from patients who have recovered from chickenpox, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases, and given to confer a rapid but short-term immunity on people recently exposed to those diseases. People who suffer from an unusual deficiency of gamma globulin known as agammaglobulinaemia are deficient in antibodies and may require periodic infusions of gamma globulin to maintain protection.
Back
|
