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Glite Dictionary
opsonic

opsonic

9.9
Helping the body's white blood cells find and destroy germs
  • adjective
  • /ˈɑːpsɒnɪk/
  • Specialized
: opsonico
  • The vaccine enhances opsonic activity, allowing the body to better target harmful bacteria.
  • opsonic defect

Examples

  • The infecting inoculum is small, and therefore defects in opsonic function may be critical in influencing the outcome.

    Academic text (1997)

  • Such an opsonic defect has been described in patients with chronic HBV infection.

    Academic text (1997)

  • 8 point mutations in codons 54 and 57 of the MBP gene are associated with low serum concentrations of the protein and a common immunodeficiency caused by an opsonic defect.

    Academic text (1997)

  • When the opsonic response is weakened, the risk of severe infections increases significantly.

  • Doctors studied the opsonic properties of the antibodies to improve treatment strategies for autoimmune diseases.

Surface Forms

opsonic positive

Morphology

opsonic = opsonin (transparent) = opson + ic

Formed by the regular adjectival suffix '-ic' on the noun 'opsonin', yielding 'relating to opsonin'.

Etymology

Opsonic comes from the Greek root opson meaning 'food' or 'a sauce'. Imagine the immune system putting a 'tasty' coat on germs so white blood cells will 'eat' them. So something opsonic helps the body find and destroy harmful microbes.