Toward Anti-Adhesion Therapy for Microbial Diseases: (408 Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology)

The emergence of pathogens resistant to conventional antimicrobial agents has forced us to intensify the efforts in search for new approaches to prevent infectious diseases. Such a direction was indicated in studies over the last two decades showing that adhesion of pathogens, primarily via glycoconjugate or protein receptors of the host tissue, is crucial for the infectious process. Moreover, it was found that infection can be prevented by blocking adhesion of the pathogen to mucosal surfaces of the host. The various aspects of interference with the process of microbial adhesion as a way of preventing diseases were the subject of the Bat-Sheva Seminar, "Towards Anti-Adhesion Therapy of Microbial Infectious Diseases," held in Zichron Yaakov, Israel, February 25 to March I, 1996. A major aim of the Bat-Sheva de Rothschild Foundation for the Advancement of Science in Israel, which sponsors a series of seminars, ours among them, is to provide the necessary tools and settings for international forums and exposure of young scientists and promising students to the state of the art of the field. This goal has been achieved during the week's discussions, and its major aspects are presented in this compendium. The seminar's participants, as well as the readers of this book, thank the founder and Foundation for their support. This book includes the major themes of this rapidly growing area. However, by no means do we intend to cover every bit and piece in it. The book's first section deals with the lectin-sugar interactions and their inhibitors.

Table of Contents:
1. Carbohydrate—Lectin Interactions in Infectious Disease.- 2. Anti-Adhesion and Diagnostic Strategies for Oro-Intestinal Bacterial Pathogens.- 3. The Gal?1—4GAL-Binding Adhesin of Streptococcus suis, a Gram-Positive Meningitis-Associated Bacterium.- 4. Development of Anti-Adhesion Carbohydrate Drugs for Clinical Use.- 5. Towards Anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa Adhesion Therapy.- 6. Inhibition of Bacterial Adhesion and Infections by Lectin Blocking.- 7. Adhesion and Invasion of Escherichia coli: Studies on Function and Regulation.- 8. Nonfimbrial Adhesins of Escherichia coli.- 9. Fimbriae—Mediated Adherence Induces Mucosal Inflammation and Bacterial Clearance: Consequences for Anti-Adhesion Therapy.- 10. Group A Streptococcal Adhesion: All of the Theories Are Correct.- 11. Adhesins of Staphylococcus aureus that Bind Lewisa Antigen: Relationship to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.- 12. Alternative Inhibitors of Mycoplasma Adherence.- 13. Studies on the Molecular Mechanisms of Meningococcal Interactions with Human Cells: Towards Anti-Adhesion Measures for the Control of Meningococcal Disease.- 14. Lipopolysaccharide’s Role in the Association of Salmonella Cells to the Mouse Intestine Studied by Ribosomal in Situ Hybridization.- 15. Interactions of Bacterial Adhesins with the Extracellular Matrix.- 16. Proteins F1 and F2 of Streptococcus pyogenes: Properties of Fibronectin Binding.- 17. Adhesion Molecules in Leukocyte Endothelial Interaction.- 18. Multiple Stages of Virus-Receptor Interactions as Shown by Simian Virus 40.- 19. The Effect of Respiratory Virus Infection on Expression of Cell Surface Antigens Associated with Binding of Potentially Pathogenic Bacteria.- 20. Anti-Escherichia coli Adhesin Activity of Cranberry and Blueberry Juices.- 21. The Effect of CranberryJuice on the Presence of Bacteria and White Blood Cells in the Urine of Elderly Women: What Is the Role of Bacterial Adhesion?.- 22. Role of Human Milk Constituents in Blocking the Adherence of Enteric Pathogens.- 23. The FimH Protein of Type 1 Fimbriae: An Adaptable Adhesin.- 24. Inhibitors of Candida albicans Adhesion to Prevent Candidiasis.- 25. Trichomonas vaginalis Adhesin Proteins Display Molecular Mimicry to Metabolic Enzymes.- 26. Cell Surface Molecules of Pathogenic and Nonpathogenic Entamoeba histolytica and Their Relation to Virulence.- 27. The Role of Lectins in Recognition and Adhesion of the Mycoparasitic Fungus Trichoderma spp. to Its Host.- 28. Microbial Coaggregation in the Oral Cavity.- 29. Hydrophobic Interactions as a Basis for Interfering with Microbial Adhesion.- 30. Anti-Adhesins of Streptococcus sobrinus.- 31. Abstracts.- 32. Concluding Remarks.