Antibodies are an important part of the specific defence system. Explain how antibodies are produced and how they protect the body after a pathogen enters the bloodstream for the first time, and why the response is faster if the same pathogen enters the body a second time.

White blood cells, mainly lymphocytes, recognise antigens on the surface of a pathogen that has entered the bloodstream. The lymphocytes then produce and release antibodies that are complementary to that antigen. The antibodies bind to the pathogen, neutralising it or causing agglutination so that it can be removed by other immune cells. After the initial infection, some of the lymphocytes become memory cells and remain in the body. When the same pathogen enters again, the memory cells recognise it immediately, divide rapidly and produce large amounts of antibody in a short time, so the pathogen is destroyed before symptoms appear.