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acquired immunity

DEFINITIONS OF: acquired immunity

1

n immunity to a particular disease that is not innate but has been acquired during life; immunity can be acquired by the development of antibodies after an attack of an infectious disease or by a pregnant mother passing antibodies through the placenta to a fetus or by vaccination

Types:
active immunity
a form of acquired immunity in which the body produces its own antibodies against disease-causing antigens
passive immunity
an impermanent form of acquired immunity in which antibodies against a disease are acquired naturally (as through the placenta to an unborn child) or artificially (as by injection of antiserum)
Type of:
immunity, resistance
(medicine) the condition in which an organism can resist disease
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