Elimination of Escherichia Coli K88 Adhesion Determinant by Antibody in Porcine Gut and Mammary Secretions Following Oral Immunization

Abstract
Antibody mediated inhibition of bacterial adhesion is one of the prevalent themes in current investigations of protective secretory immune mechanisms in the host-pathogen relationship. The phenomenon of bacterial adhesion is of considerable biological significance (12). In the gastrointestinal tract bacteria may benefit from their adhesion ability in at least two ways: by successful anchorage, thereby resisting the peristaltic fluxes which might otherwise sweep them away, and also by gaining a favorable habitat with a rich source of nutrients. With enteropathogenic E. coli (EEC) this feature creates an additional advantage over the host by allowing for a ready transport of enterotoxin into susceptible regions of the gut, with the consequent interference with biochemical processes across the membrane.