verb
- to coat or treat (a pathogenic microorganism) with opsonin, making it more susceptible to phagocytosis by immune cells
Usage: medical/immunology; technical term
Examples
- Antibodies opsonify bacteria to enhance their destruction by white blood cells.
- The immune system opsonifies pathogens to facilitate their removal from the body.
- Complement proteins can opsonify invading microorganisms.
- When antibodies opsonify a virus, macrophages recognize and engulf it more efficiently.