Methodological Approaches to Analysis of Adhesins and Adhesion

The study of mechanisms of adhesion vary from simple methods providing limited information to more complex methods that are difficult to perform and analyze but provide more meaningful information. This chapter discusses some of the most important methods and emphasizes the types of knowledge gained from the use of a specific method. Bacteria that exhibit increased hydrophobicity, as determined by the contact angle technique, linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and use of radiolabeled bacteria). Hemagglutination reactions have been responsible for the initial identification of many lectin adhesins and were important in the characterization-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and use of radiolabeled bacteria). Hemagglutination reactions have been responsible for the initial identification of many lectin adhesins and were important in the characterization of adhesin-saccharide specificities, through the use of carbohydrate inhibitors of the reactions. In approaching important subjects such as affinity, the chapter mentions two basic types of experiments that can be performed. The usefulness of the kinetic approach is extended when experimental variables are manipulated. Methods have been developed to easily differentiate between extracellularly bound and internalized bacteria. One of simplest tests to determine whether an adhesin is expressed in vivo during a natural infection is to assay for antibodies against the adhesin in patient sera. Another relatively easy assay is to screen isolates from an infection for mRNA for an adhesin by reverse transcription-PCR.