adherence to host cell question - (Jun/06/2012 )

Question, and sorry if it sounds dumb!

If a bacterium is covered by a capsule, and you have a possible adhesin embedded in the cell membrane, does the capsule not hinder the ability of the adhesin to adhere to the host cell?

Not 100% sure what you mean, but as far as I understand it you have a bacterium (I suppose more then just 1 bactial cell) in a capsule (like a drug, medicine capsule)?

If so, yes, a long as the capsule is there (around the bacterial cell) then the bacterium cant adhere to the host cell..

I am not sure this is what you mean and I also find it a bit strange for a question.
Are you thinking about probioticum capsules perhaps? or something like that?

Or if you're talking about bacterial capsule, the polysaccharide capsule is said to be involved in attachment/adherence to host cells too.

The "adhesins" may also be polymeric molecules bound to the tips of the fimbriae (or any other cellular structures). So the presence of a capsule would not stop the bacterium from sticking.

See Figure 2 of this article: http://mmg.uth.tmc.edu/MicPath/Articles%202012/Ton-That_Allen_040312.pdf

Really, pito's probiotic capsules or the structural capsule?