
According to recent research the capsule, Porphyromonas gingivalis, the bacterium that causes gum disease, provides stealth, boosting the bacterium's virulence. You may have also heard it referred to as a sugar coating, as the capsule is made from sugar molecules. These molecules do not ordinarily elicit immunity, despite the fact that it does hide the bacterium's proteins within, preventing immune response.
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Dentists in carmel In.
The study was led by Janina P. Lewis, of Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond. The scientists compared the ability of normal, and mutant bacteria that were missing the capsule.
"The mutant bacteria activated the host to a greater extent, and thus, were more easily killed by eukaryote cells," says Lewis. "Thus, the capsule protects the bacteria and allows them to survive unnoticed in our bodies."