Surface Components of Escherichia coli That Mediate Resistance to the Bactericidal Activities of Serum and Phagocytes

Microorganisms that enter the animal body, either actively or passively, encounter a battery of nonspecific and specific chemical and cellular defenses whose role is to inactivate and eliminate foreign materials. Successful pathogens have the ability to avoid, resist, or inactivate these defenses for at least the period necessary for initiation of the disease process.