Would passive immunity be able to get rid body off virus infected cells?
Answer Hi Oksana, No, passive immunity wouldn’t help here. Passive immunity is the transfer of antibodies from one person to another. Antibodies are great at getting rid of infectious material from outside cells (eg bacteria or bacterial toxins) but they can’t actually do much for infected cells. To combat viral infection, you need what’s called a “cell-mediated immune response”, and in this case that means T cells! (my favorites). They’re the body’s best weapon against virus infection. They actually go around destroying virus-infected cells so that the virus has nowhere to go. Then, any virus released when the cell is destroyed might be dealt with by antibodies – but while the virus is hiding in the cell the antibodies can’t touch it. Hope that helps!
