secondary immune response


im·mune re·sponse

1. any response of the immune system to an antigen including antibody production and/or cell-mediated immunity; 2. the response of the immune system to an antigen (immunogen) that leads to the condition of induced sensitivity; the immune response to the initial antigenic exposure (primary immune response) is detectable, as a rule, only after a lag period of from several days to 2 weeks; the immune response to a subsequent stimulus (secondary immune response) by the same antigen is more rapid than in the case of the primary immune response.

im·mune re·sponse

(i-myūn' rĕ-spons') 1. Any response of the immune system to an antigen including antibody production or cell-mediated immunity. 2. The response of the immune system to an antigen (immunogen) that leads to the condition of induced sensitivity; the immune response to the initial antigenic exposure (primary immune response) is detectable, as a rule, only after a lag period of from several days to 2 weeks; the immune response to a subsequent stimulus (secondary immune response) by the same antigen is more rapid than in the case of the primary immune response.

secondary immune response

See PRIMARY IMMUNE RESPONSE.