Preconditioning (adaptation)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Preconditioning occurs when an animal is exposed to a stressor or stimulus in order to prepare it for a later encounter with a similar stressor or stimulus. For example, in
vaccination Vaccination is the administration of a vaccine to help the immune system develop immunity from a disease. Vaccines contain a microorganism or virus in a weakened, live or killed state, or proteins or toxins from the organism. In stimulating ...
s, a human is exposed to an artificially weakened
virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living Cell (biology), cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Viruses are ...
in order to stimulate the body's
immune system The immune system is a network of biological systems that protects an organism from diseases. It detects and responds to a wide variety of pathogens, from viruses to bacteria, as well as Tumor immunology, cancer cells, Parasitic worm, parasitic ...
to produce
antibodies An antibody (Ab) or immunoglobulin (Ig) is a large, Y-shaped protein belonging to the immunoglobulin superfamily which is used by the immune system to identify and neutralize antigens such as bacteria and viruses, including those that caus ...
that fight the virus. Then, when the live virus is encountered, the body can vigorously defend against it, already having produced the relevant antibodies. See pre-exposure prophylaxis.


References

Behaviorism {{Psych-stub