Final answer:
Yes, a memory B cell after a tertiary adaptive immune response has a higher affinity for the antigen compared to a naive mature B cell in the primary response, due to the process of affinity maturation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student asked if a memory B cell after a tertiary adaptive immune response has a higher affinity for the same antigen that the naive mature B cell did in the primary adaptive immune response. The answer to this question is Yes. During the primary response, naive B cells are activated and differentiate into plasma cells that produce antibodies and a subset differentiates into memory B cells. Following subsequent exposures to the same antigen, these memory B cells are rapidly activated and lead to a secondary response, resulting in the production of higher levels of antibodies with higher affinity due to a process called affinity maturation. During further responses, such as a tertiary response, memory B cells can again respond more quickly and with higher affinity antibodies compared to the responses generated in the primary exposure.