Following mRNA vaccination against a novel influenza strain, what happens to the average antibody affinity within a germinal center over several weeks?

💡 Explanation

Antibody affinity increases over time due to somatic hypermutation and affinity maturation within germinal centers. B cells producing higher-affinity antibodies outcompete those with lower affinity because they can bind antigen more effectively and receive survival signals. Therefore, the average antibody affinity increases, rather than remaining constant or decreasing.

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