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Slime Capsule

Key Stage 4

Meaning

A diagram showing an E.coli slime capsule.

The slime capsule is a layer surrounding the cell wall of bacteria which makes it harder for the bacteria to be engulfed by a phagocyte.

Function

The slime capsule can protect the bacteria from some toxic chemicals.
The slime capsule is a defense against a phagocyte engulfing the bacteria.

About the Slime Capsule

The slime capsule is bound to the cell wall of a bacterium.
The slime capsule can protect the bacteria against some antibiotics.


References

AQA

Slime capsules, page 8, GCSE Biology; Third Edition, Oxford University Press, AQA

OCR

Slime capsule, page 21, Gateway GCSE Biology, Oxford, OCR