Keywords: B cell activation.png B cell activation svg B cell activation - ru svg When a B cell encounters its triggering antigen it gives rise to many large cells known as plasma cells Every plasma cell is essentially a factory for producing an antibody Each of the plasma cells descended from a given B cell manufactures millions of identical antibody molecules and pours them into the bloodstream http //www niaid nih gov/publications/immune/the_immune_system pdf The Immune System pdf NIH Publication No 03 “5423 September 2003 modifications September 4 2006 Template drawing and caption from The Immune System Any modifcations made by myself are released into the public domain PD-USGov DO11 10 Original work of the US Federal Government - public domain Cell diagrams Lymphocytes |