| The ability of a serum sample to facilitate opsonization of bacteria can be measured by in vitro opsonophagocytosis assays. |
| Serum antibodies to capsular polysaccharides confer protection against meningococcal disease by activating complement-dependent bacteriolysis and, possibly, by opsonization. |
| But perhaps the most important result of C3b production is that great numbers of C3b molecules are deposited on the surface of an invading pathogen in a process called opsonization. |
| In the absence of specific antibodies that recognize the bacteria, opsonization cannot occur, and the bacteria repel phagocytes. |
| Infection is cleared, usually within 2-3 weeks, by antibody opsonization and macrophage clearance. |
