ABSTRACT
The bacterial adherence of enteropathogens to the intestinal mucosa appears to be a specific event which results from the mutual recognition and interaction of complementary surface structures on both the bacteria and host intestinal epithelial cell. The adherence of several pathogenic enteric E. coli strains to specific host intestinal epithelial cells, which include the adherence of K88-positive E. coli to porcine cells, K99-positive E. coli to bovine cells and the human enterotoxigenic E. coli strains 334 and H10407 to human cells, have revealed a common characteristic shared among these E. coli strains. The rabbit enteric pathogen designated RDEC-l to examine the bacterial determinants of adherence to isolated rabbit intestinal brush borders. Appearance of receptors for RDEC-1 pili, as demonstrated using the D-l-5 organisms, on rabbit intestinal mucosa is age-dependent. The host receptors first appear at the onset of weaning and epithelial redifferentiation on or about day 21.
