infectious diseases
Factors Facilitating Microbial Invasion
Microbial Adherence
Adherence to surfaces helps microorganisms establish a base from which to penetrate tissues. Among the factors that determine adherence are adhesins (microbial molecules that mediate attachment to a cell) and host receptors to which the adhesins bind. Host receptors include cell surface sugar residues and cell surface proteins (eg, fibronectin) that enhance binding of certain gram-positive organisms (eg, Staphylococcal Infections ). Other determinants of adherence include fine structures on certain bacterial cells (eg, Streptococcal Infections ) called fibrillae, by which some bacteria bind to human epithelial cells. Other bacteria, such as Enterobacteriaceae (eg, Biofilm is a slime layer that can form around certain bacteria and confer resistance to phagocytosis and antibiotics. It develops around Pseudomonas and Related Infections in Factors that affect the likelihood of biofilm developing on such medical devices include the material’s roughness, chemical composition, and hydrophobicity. 