Different pig phenotypes affect adherence of Escherichia coli to jejunal brush borders by K88ab, K88ac, or K88ad antigen.

At least five different porcine phenotypes were distinguished with the three serological variants of the K88 antigen in the brush border adhesion test. Pigs of one phenotype (A) are susceptible to adherence of all three variants, pigs of three phenotypes are susceptible to only two (B and C) or one (D) of the K88 variants, and pigs of one phenotype (E) are entirely resistant to adhesion of K88 antigen did not interfere with the adhesion of K88ab- or K88ac-positive Escherichia coli, whereas in most cases K88ab and K88ac antigen completely blocked the adhesion of K88ad-positive E. coli. Likewise, K88ab antigen blocked the adhesion of K88ac-producing E. coli to both type A and type B brush borders, and vice versa.