Adhesive Properties of Enterobacteriaceae

Abstract

Many bacteria in different genera and species of Enterobacteriaceae form surface substances or appendages that render them adhesive for a variety of substrates. The properties of the commonest of these adhesive factors, or ‘adhesins’, namely the mannose-sensitive haemagglutinin borne on type-1 fimbriae, have been well defined, but those of most others are still poorly understood. The various adhesins differ in their pattern of affinities for different substrates, the cultural conditions required for their optimal development and the most effective methods of testing for their presence. A careful selection of methods is therefore needed to ensure their detection and, particularly, to distinguish different adhesins which may be present in the same bacterial strain.