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Interactions of Giardia lamblia with Human Intestinal Mucus: Enhancement of Trophozoite Attachment to Glass 1
Author(s) -
ZENIAN ASADOUR,
GILLIN FRANCES D.
Publication year - 1985
Publication title -
the journal of protozoology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.067
H-Index - 77
eISSN - 1550-7408
pISSN - 0022-3921
DOI - 10.1111/j.1550-7408.1985.tb03098.x
Subject(s) - mucus , giardia lamblia , mucin , ileum , biology , duodenum , in vivo , in vitro , microbiology and biotechnology , small intestine , incubation , biochemistry , medicine , ecology
Giardia lamblia trophozoites frequently are associated with mucus in vivo. We investigated the effects of human intestinal mucus on parasite attachment and survival in vitro. All samples of mucus from the duodenum and ileum (from four humans and two rabbits) enhanced attachment at 100 μm/ml. Attachment increased with mucus concentrations from 1 to 1000 μg/ml but declined toward the unstimulated level at concentrations above 1000 μg/ml. Mucus from the small intestine also promoted the survival of the parasites during the 2‐h incubation. In contrast, colonic mucus promoted survival, but inhibited attachment. Fractionation of mucus from the human small intestine by cesium chloride equilibrium density gradient ultracentrifugation revealed that both attachment‐ and survival‐promoting activities were in the low density, protein‐rich fraction. The high density fractions containing the mucins were devoid of activity. Thus, a non‐mucin fraction of mucus from the human small intestine may promote colonization by G. lamblia .