During an adaptive immune response to a pathogen an important outcome of the clonal selection process is:
Correct Answer: A
Rationale: The correct answer is A because during clonal selection, lymphocytes specific to the pathogen are activated, leading to their proliferation and differentiation into effector cells. This results in an increase in the number of lymphocytes specific for the pathogen, enhancing the immune response.
Choice B is incorrect because clonal selection does not involve the elimination of non-specific lymphocytes but rather the expansion of specific lymphocytes.
Choice C is also incorrect because clonal selection does not change the antigen receptor specificities expressed by lymphocytes but instead focuses on expanding the population of lymphocytes with receptors specific to the pathogen.
Therefore, the correct outcome of clonal selection is the increase in the number of lymphocytes specific for the pathogen that activated the response, making choice A the most accurate option.