What is the difference between Antigen and Pathogen?

Antigens and pathogens may seem the same, but these are two different things that can enter the body. The pathogen is known to be a foreign object that may have found its way to the body. This can affect the body’s normal functioning. This means that it can cause the body to be diseased.

An antigen, on the other hand, is an antibody. This attaches itself to foreign organisms so that they can be eliminated from the body before they can cause further harm. The antigen can trigger an autoimmune response that will allow the body to flush out the foreign body before it can wreak havoc to the body.

Antigens are molecules that can induce an immune response. They are proteins that are found at the surface of a pathogen. Antigens are often foreign, and they are unique to a specific pathogen. When an antigen present to the body, the immune (defense) system produce antibodies against the antigen, the antigen is the molecules that the immune system recognizes and produces antibodies against.

The antigen can be any molecule. It can be a protein, nucleic acid, or polysaccharides. On the other hand, pathogens are organisms or substances, especially microorganisms, that are capable of causing diseases. Most of the pathogens we hear about are bacteria, viruses, protozoa, or fungi. Microorganisms are not considered to be pathogenic until they have reached a specific population size that they can cause disease. I hope you find this information helpful.

The antigen is known to be a molecule that can be in the form of a protein, a lipid, or a nucleic acid. This will make sure that the molecule is capable of inducing an immune response in the host. There are also instances when this is the molecule that is located on top of the pathogen that will make sure that the immune system will have a response.

A pathogen is considered to be a negative thing because it will have a tendency to cause diseases. The pathogen can be in the form or a parasite, protozoa, or a virus. Since a pathogen can cause diseases in the host, people are recommended to be more careful about the things that they place in their bodies.

The antigen is known to be a molecule on the surface of a pathogen. This can help trigger the immune response. A pathogen is known to cause diseases. The antigen can come in the form of lipids, nucleic acids, and polysaccharides. The pathogen is identified to be organisms. They can be in the form of bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and so much more.

Do remember that different types of antigens are available such as exogenous, endogenous, autoantigens, and neoantigens. The pathogens can usually cause an immune response throughout the body. They may also have some similarities and example of which is that they can both become considered as immunogens.