| naive T-cell | A T-cell arising from the immune system's production of fresh cells in the bone marrow. Naive T-cells respond to newly encountered pathogens containing antigens the immune system has not processed before. The naive T-cells' activation and proliferation create an acquired immune response to the newly encountered pathogenic agent. After the disease is eradicated, a portion of the T-cell population engendered by the activated naive T-cells constitutes a reservoir of memory cells, which proliferate and respond very quickly to any recurrence of the disease. See: both Memory T-Cell and Immune System. (09 Oct 1997) |
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