Antigen vs Pathogen
In
our daily life, we are exposed to different substances. Even though
most of the people, most of the time, are healthy and have the ability
to do their daily activities, sometimes, some of them fall sick or get
illness, which is caused by pathogens.
Pathogens
are any foreign organisms that cause diseases in host plants and
animals; e.g. virus and bacteria. Antigen is a molecule located in the
cell wall of bacteria or the coating of organisms. Antigen causes our
immune system to produce the antibody against it and protect our body
from harmful foreign organisms.
What is Antigen?
Originally
the term Antigen came from Antibody generator. It may be any substance,
which comes from the environment or forms within the body. Generally,
antigens are protein and polysaccharide (capsule, coats, cell wall, and
flagella) located in the cell walls of bacteria or in the coating of
other organisms. It causes our immune system to produce the antibody
against it. Antibody is used by the immune system to identify and
neutralize the foreign particles like bacteria and viruses. Basically,
antigens are categorized as self-antigen and non-self-antigen.
Self-antigens are tolerated by the immune system while the
non-self-antigens are identified as invaders and can be attacked by the
immune system. Non self-antigens include egg white, pollen from the
organs, and transplanted tissues.
At
the molecular level, an antibody has the antigen binding site, in which,
the antigen has the ability to bind. These triggers the response of
different antibodies based on its match like a lock and key. An
Immunogenic is an example for a specific type of antigen which is able
to induce the immune response. The two types of antigens are exogenous
and endogenous. Exogenous antigens enter the body from outside. E.g. by
ingestion or inhalation. These are taken into the antigen present cells
by endocytosis and then exocytosis process it into fragments. Endogenous
forms within the normal cells by cell metabolism or viral intracellular
bacterial infection.
What is Pathogen?
Pathogens are easily called as
infectious agents. We contact pathogens in our daily life. These are
microorganisms that cause diseases in host plants and animals; e.g.
virus, bacteria, and fungi. Not all microbes are harmful; pathogens
refer specifically to the ones that can cause disease in the host. The
human body also contains helpful bacteria, which is called good
bacteria. It may be destroyed by chemotherapy or HIV.
Pathogen transmission occurs in many
ways such as fecal-oral route, body fluid, through blood, breast milk,
direct or indirect contact.
Nowadays, there are many medical
advances available against infection by pathogens like use of
vaccination, antibiotics, and fungicide. Mostly Pathogens are negative
but not all. Pathogens serve as natural or biological control, to
suppress the arthropod pest populations.
The types of pathogens are viral,
bacterial, fungal, other parasites, and prionic; e.g. Mycobacterium
tuberculosi (a causative agent for most tuberculosis) and Fungs (affect
athlete’s feet).
What is the difference between Antigen and Pathogen?
• Pathogen is an organism but antigen is
not an organism, it is a molecule located in the cell wall of bacteria
or the coating of other microorganism.
• Pathogen is a harmful organism that causes disease in its host.
• Antigen triggers the response of difference kind of antibodies based on its match like a lock and key hypothesis.
• Pathogen refers to any foreign
organism, which is not part of the body, and presents inside the body,
mainly in the blood stream, but antigen is a part of the body.
• Pathogens serve as biological controller but antigen doesn’t.
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