das Antigen
antigen
A substance, usually foreign to the body, that is recognized by the immune system and can trigger an immune response.
EXAMPLE
Das Antigen wurde von den Immunzellen erkannt.
The antigen was recognized by the immune cells.
das Antigen
antigen
das Antigen, die Antigene
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Antigen, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | neuter das |
|---|---|
| plural | die Antigene |
| genitive | des Antigens |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | das Antigen | die Antigene |
| accusative | das Antigen | die Antigene |
| dative | dem Antigen | den Antigenen |
| genitive | des Antigens | der Antigene |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Technical usage
'Das Antigen' (the antigen) is used mainly in the technical language of immunology, medicine, and biology. In everyday life, it is especially common in texts about vaccinations, infections, and laboratory tests.
EXAMPLE
Im medizinischen Bericht wurde das Antigen genau untersucht.
The antigen was examined in detail in the medical report.
Typical collocations
Common collocations include 'ein Antigen erkennen' (to recognize an antigen), 'ein Antigen nachweisen' (to detect an antigen), and 'Antikörper gegen ein Antigen bilden' (to produce antibodies against an antigen). The verb in the sentence often shows whether the focus is on recognition or detection.
EXAMPLE
Die Laboranalyse konnte das Antigen im Blut nachweisen.
The laboratory analysis was able to detect the antigen in the blood.
Compound words
'Antigen' is a common component of medical compounds, for example in 'Antigentest' (antigen test) and 'Antigen-Schnelltest' (rapid antigen test). Such words usually refer to a procedure or product used to examine an antigen.
EXAMPLE
Der Antigentest weist das Antigen bereits nach wenigen Minuten nach.
The antigen test detects the antigen within just a few minutes.
In real life
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