Enterobacter agglomerans lipopolysaccharide-induced changes in pulmonary surfactant as a factor in the pathogenesis of byssinosis.

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Enterobacter agglomerans and pulmonary surfactant mixtures were centrifuged in discontinuous sucrose gradients to determine whether LPS bound to surfactant and examined in a Langmuir trough with a Wilhelmy balance to determine whether LPS altered the surface activity of surfactant. The LPS was found to bind to the surfactant and altered its surface tension properties. The binding of LPS to surfactant in the lung may change the physiological properties of surfactant and be a possible mechanism for the pathogenesis of byssinosis.