The interaction between intestinal mucus glycoproteins and enteric infections.

Adherence of pathogenic enteric organisms to specific receptors on mucosal surfaces is widely recognized as an important first step in the initiation of infectious diseases. The specific interactions whereby parasites and bacteria exploit mucus substrates for colonization, and the host uses them as a nonimmunological defense mechanism, is only now being unravelled. In this review, Sil-King Tse and Kris Chadee discuss various hypothetical models for interaction, including the role of the immune system in the regulation of mucus secretion.