Why does antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) eliminate infected cells, rather than non-infected neighboring cells during a viral infection?

💡 Explanation

Antibodies bound to viral antigens on infected cells act as a flag for NK cells expressing Fc receptors, initiating targeted destruction through ADCC, because ADCC requires antigen-specific antibody binding. Therefore, only cells displaying the targeted antigen are eliminated, rather than neighboring cells, because the ADCC mechanism depends on specific antigen recognition, rather than bystander killing.

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