Inhibition ofPasteurella multocidaAdhesion to Rabbit Respiratory Epithelium Using Lectins

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the ability of a panel of lectins to inhibit the ability ofPasteurella multocidato adhere to and affect the rabbit respiratory epithelium. Nasal septa from rabbit fetuses were cultured with various lectins before the addition ofP. multocida. The percentage of bacteria adhering to the epithelium was evaluated semiquantitatively by indirect immunoperoxidase (IIP) staining. The goblet cells (GCs) were counted in semithin sections stained with toluidine blue and served as the main morphological criterion to evaluate the inhibitory effect of the lectins. The lectins PNA, WGA, RCA120, and DBA significantly inhibited the adhesion ofP. multocidato the ciliated epitheliumP<0.05and prevented the pathogen-induced increase in the number of GCsP<0.05compared with those of positive control tissues. In addition, VVA, SJA, UEA I, DSL, SBA, and ECL significantly inhibited the increase in GCs compared with that of the control tissues. The results suggest that less aggressive therapeutic strategies, such as treatment with lectins, may represent alternative approaches to control bacterial respiratory infections.