Fimbrial Adhesins of Escherichia coli

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Abstract
Fimbriae are long, thread like protein polymers found on the surface of many strains of Escherichia coli. The presence of fimbriae has been found to be significantly correlated with pathogenicity, and specific fimbriae confer on pathogenic strains the ability to adhereto and colonize various specific host epithelia.A surprising variety of fimbrial adhesins have been found in E. coli; several unrelated groups of such proteins have been extensively characterized. Fimbriae of E. coli are strongly immunogenic. Their continuous interaction with host defenses has imposed heavy selective pressureon them, leading to a fine balance between functional necessity and maximal immunologic diversity. These important virulence factors maybe exploited in various ways in the production of vaccination agents. Vaccines based on E. coli fimbriae have proved extremely successful in the veterinary sector, and several types of immunization are currently being tested in humans.

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