What is the purpose of the polysaccharide capsule of Streptococcus pneumoniae?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The polysaccharide capsule is important to a bacterium because it helps the bacterium to evade the immune response. The capsule prevents phagocytes from ingesting the pathogen and prevents complement fragments from binding to the pathogen surface. Therefore, the bacterium is better able to establish infection before the adaptive immune response is activated.

What Is the Purpose of the Polysaccharide Capsule of Streptococcus