adaptive immunity
(uh-DAP-tiv ih-MYOO-nih-tee)
A type of
immunity that develops when a person’s immune system
responds to a foreign substance or microorganism, such as
after an infection or vaccination. Adaptive immunity
involves specialized immune cells and antibodies that
attack and destroy foreign invaders and are able to prevent
disease in the future by remembering what those substances
look like and mounting a new immune response. Adaptive
immunity may last for a few weeks or months or for a long
time, sometimes for a person’s entire
life.