Adhesive Property of Toxin-Coregulated Pilus of Vibrio cholerae O1

The adhesive property of toxin-coregulated pilus (TCP) to the human intestine (jejunum), and whether or not TCP mediates the adhesion of Vibrio cholerae 395 organisms to the intestinal epithelium were investigated using visually proving methods. The purified TCP did not agglutinate human erythrocytes nor adhere to the surface of human intestinal epithelium. V. cholerae 395 adhered to the epithelium, but the adhesion was not inhibited by blocking the pili with the Fab fraction of anti-TCP IgG. The organisms adhered to the intestine treated with purified TCP in advance, as well as to the intact intestine. These findings suggest that TCP is not involved in the adhesion of these organisms to the intestinal epithelium.