Pharmacology Researchers Are Developing a New Antivenom to Treat Coral

Pharmacology researchers are developing a new antivenom to treat coral snakebites.  They immunize horses with snake venom, extract IgG-containing plasma, and then administer the plasma to humans who have been bitten by a coral snake.  This therapy neutralizes the venom and improves the patient's symptoms.  In order to produce venom-selective antibodies, the researchers select a single venom-specific plasma cell from the immunized horse and induce it to proliferate and produce large amounts of venom-specific IgG.  However, they find that the antibody produced by the single plasma cell is less effective at neutralizing the venom than the IgG-containing plasma.  A decrease in which of the following best explains the reduced efficacy of the immunoglobulin produced by the single plasma cell?

A) Affinity of the individual immunoglobulin
B) Avidity of the individual immunoglobulin
C) Number of antigen epitopes recognized
D) Valency of the individual immunoglobulin

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