Which term describes the body’s ability to resist pathogens?

• A. Immunity
• B. Inflammation
• C. Antibody
• D. Fever

Answer: (A)

Immunity is the body's ability to resist pathogens. It covers the whole defense system, including innate barriers like skin and mucous membranes, and the adaptive response where immune cells recognize specific invaders and produce targeted antibodies, often leaving a memory for faster future protection. This overall resistance can prevent infection or lessen its impact. Inflammation is a protective reaction to injury or infection that causes redness, swelling, and warmth and helps recruit immune cells, but it’s a part of the response rather than the complete capacity to resist pathogens. Fever is a systemic rise in body temperature used to hinder pathogen growth and boost immune activity; it’s a response during illness, not the general ability to resist pathogens. An antibody is a specific immune molecule produced to bind and neutralize a pathogen, one tool within immunity rather than the whole concept of resistance.