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Glite Dictionary
cell-mediated immune response

cell-mediated immune response

6.4
A body defence by special white blood cells that attacks viruses, fungi, and transplanted organs
  • noun
  • /sɛl ˈmiːdeɪtɪd ɪˈmjun rɪˈspɑns/
  • Specialized
translation icon : respuesta inmune mediada por células
  • The body relies on a cell-mediated immune response to fight against viral infections effectively.

Examples

  • Tattooing devices can also be used to deliver peptide/protein vaccines and have been proven to induce both humoral and cell-mediated immune responses.

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  • When the virus enters the body, a strong cell-mediated immune response is crucial for eliminating infected cells.

  • Doctors monitor the cell-mediated immune response in patients who have received organ transplants to prevent rejection.

Antonyms

humoral immune response
  • Specialized
6.3

Part of the body's defence where B cells make antibodies in the blood to fight bacteria and toxins

Surface Forms

cell-mediated immune response singular
cell-mediated immune responses plural

Morphology

cell-mediated + immune + response

The phrase is compositionally transparent: 'cell-mediated' means 'mediated by cells' and 'immune response' means 'the body's reaction to infection', so the overall meaning ('an immune reaction primarily involving cells rather than antibodies') is directly derivable from the parts. Although it is technical biomedical terminology, the formation follows a regular English pattern ('X-mediated') and would be understandable to a B1 learner who knows the constituent words.

Etymology

Cell-mediated immune response paints a simple image: special white blood cells do the fighting and the word mediated shows the action happens 'through' those cells rather than by antibodies. So, the phrase means an immune reaction done 'by' cells to fight viruses, fungi, or transplanted tissue.