Which process involves coating pathogens with antibodies to increase their susceptibility to phagocytosis?

Opsonization is the process in which pathogens are coated with antibodies, which enhances their visibility and recognition by immune cells, particularly phagocytes like macrophages and neutrophils. When antibodies attach to a pathogen, they act as a signal that marks the pathogen for destruction. This coating not only improves the attachment of phagocytes to the pathogens, making them more easily engulfed but also activates additional immune responses that can aid in the destruction of the invaders.

This process is crucial in the immune defense since it facilitates the elimination of pathogens by making them more "appetizing" to phagocytes. The antibodies connect the pathogen to the immune cell, effectively bridging the gap and improving the efficiency of the immune response.

Apoptosis, on the other hand, refers to programmed cell death, a mechanism to eliminate cells that are no longer needed or are damaged, rather than a process that specifically enhances pathogen destruction. Phagocytosis is the act through which phagocytes engulf pathogens but does not specifically refer to the process of coating with antibodies. Antigen presentation involves the display of antigen fragments on the surface of cells, which is a distinct step in the activation of T-cells but does not directly involve the coating of pathogens for increased