Describe4 marksStandard
A patient is infected with a novel virus. The table below shows the concentration of specific antibodies against this virus in the patient's blood at various times after the first infection (primary response) and after a second infection with the same virus several months later (secondary response).
| Time after exposure (days) | Antibody concentration (arbitrary units) – Primary response | Antibody concentration (arbitrary units) – Secondary response |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 5 | 50 |
| 5 | 20 | 200 |
| 7 | 100 | 500 |
| 10 | 200 | 400 |
| 14 | 150 | 200 |
| 21 | 80 | 100 |
Describe the differences between the primary and secondary immune responses shown in the table, and explain the role of memory cells in producing these differences.