This book is about the adhesion of bacteria to their human hosts. Although adhesion is essential for maintaining members of the normal microflora in/on their host, it is also the crucial first stage in any infectious disease. It is important, therefore, to fully under stand the mechanisme underlying bacterial adhesion 50 that we may be able to develop methods of maintaining our normal (Protective) microflora, and of preventing prathogenic bacteria from initiating an infectious process.
These topics are increasingly important because of the growing prevalnece of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and, consequently, the need to develop alternative approaches for the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. This book describes the bacterial structures responsible for adhesion and the molecular mechanisms underlying the adhesion process. A unique feature is that it also deals with the consequences of adhesion for boththe adherent bacterium and the host cell/tissue to which it has adhered. Researchers and graduate students in microbiologhy and molecular medicine will find this book to be a valuable overview of current research on this exciting and rapidly developing topic.
Part 1 Bacterial adhesins and adhesive structures
Part 2 Effect of adhesion on bacterial structure and function
Part 3 Consequences of bacterial adhesion for the host