hey everybody dr. o here this video I want to go over the capsule so I it in an introductory video earlier but the capsule is very important so it's worth noting a few examples and also its relationship to something very important the biofilm so the capsule is an example of a glycocalyx which basically means sticky sugar coat so microorganisms are microorganisms are able to produce these substances inside of them these gelatinous like sticky polymer substances that are usually a combination of carbs or or proteins or can be both but they're wildly different amongst organisms but they have this material they can spew out onto themselves and coat themselves with so if it's real loosely laying on there and unorganized it's called a slime layer but we generally care about the neatly organized capsules so a capsule is an example of a glycocalyx a-- reason that's important is I think of the capsule is kind of a biofilm for a single organism because biofilms are wildly important according to the CDC at least 70% of the infections that humans deal with are from biofilm forming organisms so it was her video about biofilms but biofilms are really the same thing this but the substance that's gets spewed out but it covers groups of organisms instead of a single one so think of a capsule as a biofilm for one so why are they so important why is it so important that the to this organism that has this it's green in this picture but it has this capsule that's neatly organized sugary or sticky coat around its surface well it increases virulence and the man that's believed that the main reason are really only reason this is the case is that it helps these organisms evade phagocytosis so think about how many of your immune cells function by phagocytosis you've got to any of your you know your macrophages and neutrophils you know you name it we have macrophages microphages so these are all eaters right they engulf and destroy things like bacteria well the capsule appears to make that either impossible or way less likely so I'll give you a couple examples here bacillus anthracis the causative agent of anthrax if it has a capsule it can cause anthrax if it doesn't have a capsule it doesn't and they believe that's because the capsule helps it evade thank you so ptosis streptococcus pneumoniae it is known that from Frederick Griffin's experiments which we covered in December video.if streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria doesn't have a capsule it cannot cause pneumonia it can it is not a pathogen if it has a capsule it can cause pneumonia sepsis meningitis it still kills 1.4 to 1.5 million humans a year so the capsule is what makes streptococcus pneumoniae dangerous same thing with Clyde sella pneumonia another very potent pathogen if it has a capsule but if it doesn't have one it's not so the capsule does think this this coding on the surface of an organism that makes it virulent or more virulent which means more dangerous more pathogenic because it helps these organisms evade phagocytosis and then also just keep in the back of your mind for later that a capsule is pretty much a biofilm for one so the same the same sticky coating that goes on one cell can cover communities of organisms as well and we'll cover that a lot later all right I really hope that helps have a wonderful day be blessed