The
humoral immune response involves the production of
antibodies to fight a specific invader.
B-lymphocytes are responsible for
antibody secretion during the
humoral immune response.
Primary immune response
When a
host is introduced to an
antigen for the first time the
primary immune response occurs. This response takes up to about two weeks to come into full effect, since
B cell proliferation must start from a small
number of
cells with the proper
antigen receptor.
Secondary immune response
When a
host is introduced to an
antigen after a
primary immune response has occurred, a
secondary immune response takes place. The
secondary immune response is much quicker than a
primary immune response, and reaches
peak effectiveness after about two days. The
secondary immune response relies on the presence of memory cells, and will not occur if no memory cells were formed during the
primary immune response.
Clonal Selection
Figure 16.8.1 - Clonal Selection 
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1 - Anatomy and Physiology Basics