Explanatory articles on bacterial adhesion. Each summarises published research for students and general readers; they are not peer reviewed.
- Introduction to Bacterial Adhesins: Structure, Function, and Pathogenic Role
An overview of bacterial adhesins: structural classes, receptor specificity and tissue tropism, their role in biofilms, and why they are studied as vaccine and drug targets.
- Pili and Fimbriae in Gram-Negative Bacteria: Assembly Pathways and Diversity
How pili and fimbriae of Gram-negative bacteria are built: chaperone-usher assembly, type IV pili biogenesis, structural diversity and their roles in colonization.
- Biofilm Formation: How Bacterial Adhesins Drive Surface Colonization
How adhesins start and sustain biofilm development, from first surface contact through maturation and dispersal, and why biofilms are hard to treat.
- MSCRAMMs: Staphylococcal Surface Proteins and Host Tissue Invasion
An explainer on MSCRAMMs, the Staphylococcus aureus surface proteins that bind fibronectin, fibrinogen and collagen, and their relevance to device infections and vaccine research.
- Anti-Adhesion Therapy: Blocking Bacterial Attachment as an Alternative to Antibiotics
Anti-adhesion strategies against bacterial infection: receptor analogues, FimH antagonists, adhesin-based vaccines and the challenges of bringing them to the clinic.
- Anti-Adhesion Therapy: FimH Antagonists, Pilicides and Anti-Biofilm Strategies
A closer look at investigational anti-adhesion approaches: mannoside FimH antagonists, pilicides and curlicides, and anti-biofilm strategies, with literature references.