Glossary of Terms

The following terms are found throughout the Sept. 2002 issue of COLUMNS - Mold. The definitions are from the 1995 edition of Mirriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary unless otherwise stated.

actinomycete: any of an order (Actinomycetales) of filamentous or rod-shaped bacteria

antibody: any of a large number of proteins produced normally after stimulation by an antigen and act specifically against the antigen in an immune response

antigen: a substance capable of stimulating an immune response

asthma: a condition often of allergic origin that is marked by continuous or paroxysmal labored breathing accompanied by wheezing, by a sense of constriction in the …