Concept explainers
To answer:
Anthrax is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. The pathogen avoids the body’s defenses against the disease by synthesizing an outer glycoprotein covering made from D-glutamic acid. This covering is not digestible by white blood cells that normally engulf bacteria. Why the covering is indigestible is to be determined.
Introduction:
Bacillus anthracis refers to gram positive bacteria. It is a rod-shaped bacterium and its size ranges from 1 to 9 µm. Anthrax produces two types of spores that may exists in the soil, even for a decade. Anthrax produces D-glutamic acid and acts as a covering layer that is not digested by eukaryotic immune cells.
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Microbiology with Diseases by Body System Plus Mastering Microbiology with Pearson eText -- Access Card Package (5th Edition)
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