Paper II
2025 March (Supplementary (SAY)) (2019 Scheme) · 100 marks · 180 min

Question

An important virulence factor in this bacterium is

  • a) Fimbria
  • b) Endotoxin
  • c) Capsule
  • d) Flagellum
Qii1.8 marksMCQs

Answer

- [x] c) Capsule

The polysaccharide capsule is Streptococcus pneumoniae’s major virulence factor — it is anti-phagocytic, allowing the organism to evade host immune clearance, and forms the basis of the pneumococcal vaccines. Fimbria and flagellum are not major recognized S. pneumoniae virulence factors (the organism is non-motile, lacking flagella); endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide) is a Gram-negative bacterial cell wall component, and S. pneumoniae is Gram-positive, so it does not possess endotoxin.

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