Final answer:
Antibodies render viral proteins, animal venoms, and bacterial toxins inactive through a process known as neutralization, which prevents pathogens and toxins from attaching and entering host cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
Antibodies can bind to viral proteins, animal venoms, and bacterial toxins, rendering them inactive, by a process known as neutralization. The correct answer to the question is B. Neutralization.
Neutralization involves the binding of certain antibodies (IgG, IgM, or IgA) to epitopes on the surface of pathogens or toxins, preventing their attachment to cells. For example, antibodies may inhibit infection by preventing the antigen from binding to its target, thus blocking the attachment and entry of pathogens like viruses and the harmful effects of toxins.
Antibodies also mark pathogens for destruction by phagocytic cells, such as macrophages or neutrophils, and opsonization enhances this effect. In a neutralization assay, antiviral antibodies prevent viruses from binding to host cell receptors, effectively neutralizing the threat.