- antiserum
- Serum that contains demonstrable antibody or antibodies specific for one (monovalent or specific a.) or more (polyvalent a.) antigens; may be prepared from the blood of animals inoculated with an antigenic material or from the blood of animals and persons that have been stimulated by natural contact with an antigen (as in those who recover from an attack of disease). SYN: immune serum.- heterologous a. an a. that reacts with ( e.g., agglutinates) certain microorganisms or other complexes of antigens, even though the a. was produced by means of stimulation with a different microorganism or antigenic material. SEE ALSO: homologous a..- homologous a. an a. in which there is complete correspondence between the content of antibodies and the antigenic material used for producing the a..- monovalent a. a..- nerve growth factor a. an a. containing antibodies against nerve growth factor; when injected into newborn animals the majority of sympathetic ganglion cells are permanently destroyed, resulting in hypoinnervation of peripheral tissues. SYN: NGF a..- polyvalent a. a..- specific a. a..
* * *
an·ti·se·rum 'ant-i-.sir-əm, 'an-.tī-, -.ser- n a serum containing antibodies called also immune serum* * *
n. (pl. antisera)a serum that contains antibodies against antigens of a particular kind; it may be injected to treat, or give temporary protection (passive immunity) against, specific diseases. Antisera are prepared in large quantities in such animals as horses. In the laboratory, they are used to identify unknown organisms responsible for infection (see agglutination).* * *
an·ti·se·rum (an″tĭ-seґrəm) a serum that contains antibody or antibodies; it may be obtained from an animal that has been immunized either by injection of antigen into the body or by infection with microorganisms containing the antigen. Antisera may be monovalent (specific for one antigen) or polyvalent (specific for more than one antigen).
Medical dictionary. 2011.
