The involvement of sugars and Mg++ in the attachment of phagocytic cells to Ascaris suum juveniles.

In vitro adherence of washed peritoneal exudate cells (PECs) from mice to Ascaris suum juveniles was inhibited by D-glucosamine and D-galactosamine. Other carbohydrates tested had no apparent effect on adherence after incubation for 3 hr at any of the concentrations tested. Furthermore, attachment of PECs to A. suum juveniles was completely inhibited by the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetate to the medium, but magnesium ethylene glycol bis(trichloroacetate) had no effect on adherence. The results suggest that receptors for glucosamine-like or galactosamine-like molecules in conjunction with Mg++ are involved in the attachment of pECs to A. suum juveniles in the absence of antibody and complement. Adherence mediated by carbohydrated and divalent cations may be involved in early nonspecific mechanisms of resistance against A. suum because the reaction did not depend on the presence of antibody and/or complement for attachment.