High School

Pathogenic strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the leading cause of bacterial pneumonia, have capsules. Therefore, the capsules are acting as a: _______

Answer :

The capsule in Streptococcus pneumoniae acts as a virulence factor for this material.

Pneumonia is an illness that results from an acute infection of the lower respiratory tract. Pneumonia can be caused by fungal, bacterial or viral infections. In adults, cases of pneumonia are generally more often caused by viruses. The virus that is the main cause of pneumonia is Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is a gram-positive, ovoid or ball-shaped which is the main cause of pneumonia, sinusitis, otitis, bronchitis, bacteremia, meningitis, and other infectious processes. They have a polysaccharide capsule which acts as a virulence factor for an organism. After entering the lower respiratory tract, an inflammatory reaction will occur in the bronchial wall causing cells filled with exudate and epithelial cells to become damaged.

Learn more about pneumoniae at:

https://brainly.com/question/16903358?referrer=searchResults

#SPJ4

Other Questions