A newborn baby receives ready-made antibodies through its mother's breast milk and is protected from an infection for a few weeks. As the borrowed antibodie...
Question 1 Report
A newborn baby receives ready-made antibodies through its mother's breast milk and is protected from an infection for a few weeks. As the borrowed antibodies break down, the protection fades because the baby has not made any itself. This short-lived protection is an example of which type of immunity?
Answer Details
Passive immunity is a short-term defence in which antibodies are acquired ready-made from another individual, such as across the placenta or in breast milk. The baby receives its mother's antibodies through breast milk but makes none of its own and forms no memory cells, so once the borrowed antibodies break down the protection fades, which is exactly passive immunity. Active immunity, from a vaccine or infection, would involve the baby making its own antibodies and memory cells for long-term protection, so this short-lived, borrowed protection is passive.
Download The App On Google Playstore
Everything you need to excel in your exams
