Effect of oligomannoside-type glycopeptides in diarrheal disease of rabbits induced by Escherichia coli strain RDEC-1.

We examined the effects of a soluble receptor-like complex carbohydrate (an oligomannoside-type glycopeptide) on adherence of a type 1 fimbriated rabbit enteropathogen, Escherichia coli strain RDEC-1. Oligomannoside-type glycopeptide, but not a non-glycosylated peptide mixture used as control, inhibited adherence of type 1 fimbriated RDEC-1 to both rabbit ileal brush borders and guinea pig erythrocytes in vitro. In contrast, during RDEC-1 infection of rabbits the receptor-like oligomannoside did not affect the presence and severity of diarrhea, fecal shedding of organisms, luminal colonization by RDEC-1, or enteroadherence of organisms.