Adherence of Shigella dysenteriae 1 to human colonic mucin.

The pathogenic potential of Shigella is correlated with the ability of the organism to invade and multiply within the cells of colonic epithelium. Although invasion is the ultimate event, a preceding step is adherence. Shigella dysenteriae 1 preferentially adhered to colonic mucin and not to small intestinal mucin. The pathogen showed a very strong adherence pattern to human colonic mucin when compared with guinea pig and rat mucin. The adherence pattern of S. dysenteriae 1 was not altered on preincubation with monosaccharides present in mucins, suggesting that the receptor for the pathogen is not a simple sugar. Binding of S. dysenteriae 1 to human colonic mucin was not by weak hydrophobic forces. The bacterium also adhered to glycolipids, emphasizing the role of glycoconjugates as receptors for S. dysenteriae 1.