Recall from Chapter 4 that some bacteria make glycocalyx material that forms capsules around their cell walls; this property increases the virulence of the species. The capsule resists the host’s defenses by impairing phagocytosis, the process by which certain cells of the body engulf and destroy microbes. The chemical nature of the capsule appears to prevent the phagocytic cell form adhering to the bacterium. However, the human body can produce antibodies against the capsule, and when these antibodies are present on the capsule surface, the encapsulated bacteria are easily destroyed by phagocytosis.