Adaptive Immunity

The adaptive immune response is an acquired specific immune response, in contrast to the innate immune response which is non-specific. Like the innate response, the adaptive response includes both a humoral (also called the antibody-mediated system) and a cell-mediated immunity component. The humoral response is mediated via B cells, which produce specific antibodies targeted towards bacteria and other foreign antigens. The cell-mediated response is critical for fighting intracellular pathogens, destroying cancer cells and fighting other fungal and viral infections.