It’s actually better than what OP said. We have a T cell for every antigen. Period. Even the ones that nobody has ever encountered. That’s because T cell receptors are proteins, that is, combinations of amino acids. Random combinations of T cell receptors are produced by the immune system (if it does not harm the host).
The caveat is that it takes a while for the T cell of an unknown antigen to be activated, enough time for the sickness to appear and even become critical.
It’s actually better than what OP said. We have a T cell for every antigen. Period. Even the ones that nobody has ever encountered. That’s because T cell receptors are proteins, that is, combinations of amino acids. Random combinations of T cell receptors are produced by the immune system (if it does not harm the host).
The caveat is that it takes a while for the T cell of an unknown antigen to be activated, enough time for the sickness to appear and even become critical.