Interactions of Giardia lamblia with Human Intestinal Mucus: Enhancement of Trophozoite Attachment to Glass1

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Abstract
Giardia lambla trophozoites frequently are associated with mucus in vivo. We investigated the effects of human intestinal mucus on paraiste attchment and survival in vitro. All samples of mucus from the duodenuma nd ileum (from four humans and two rabbits) enhanced attachment at 100 .mu.g/ml. Attachment increased with mucus concentration form 1 to 1000 .mu.g/ml but declined toward the unstimulated level at concentrations above 1000 .mu.g/ml. Mucus from the small intestine also promoted the survival of the parasites during the 2-hr incubation. In contrast, colonic mucus promoted survival, but inhibited attachment. Fractionation of mucus from the human small intestine by cesium chlorid equilibrium density gradient ultracentrifugation revealed that both attachment- and survival-promoting activities were in the low density, protein-rich fraction. The high density fractions containing the mucins were devoid of activity. Thus, a non-mucin fractin of mucus from the human small intestine may promote colonization by G. lamblia.