How exactly B lymphocytes cells do defence?

When a foreign substance enters the body, the B cells are activated. They recognize the substance as foreign, multiply, then differentiate into plasma cells and memory cells. The plasma cells produce proteins known as antibodies, which attach to the substance and neutralize it, much in the way an acid neutralizes a base in a chemistry lab experiment. Foreign substances that can cause the body to produce antibodies are known as antigens.

Antibodies are specific; they are effective against only those antigens that brought about their creation. It may take some time for the body to produce adequate amounts of a specific antibody, but once it has learned to manufacture a particular antibody, it can begin to produce it again quite rapidly. And once the B cells have encountered an antigen, those that are transformed into memory cells “remember” the antigen, so the next time it is encountered, it can be attacked immediately.

This entire B cell process, known as humoral immunity because it takes place in bodily fluids, is how people acquire immunity to certain illnesses and is the basis of immunization. When a person is immunized against a disease, a small amount of antigen is introduced into the body. The introduction of this antigen into the body activates the B cells, which ultimately results in the production of disease-specific antibodies that neutralize the antigen. Once the antigen has been disposed of, these antibodies circulate in the bodily fluids, protecting the body against future invasions by that particular disease-causing organism.

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