How Antibodies Fight Infection: 3 Key Mechanisms

1. Neutralization: Antibodies can bind to and neutralize pathogens, such as bacteria and viruses, preventing them from infecting host cells.

2. Opsonization: Antibodies can coat pathogens, making them more easily recognized and phagocytized by immune cells, such as macrophages and neutrophils.

3. Complement activation: Antibodies can activate the complement system, a cascade of proteins that leads to the destruction of pathogens.