Toward Anti-Adhesion Therapy for Microbial Diseases

The emergence of pathogens resistant to conventional antimicrobial agents has forced us to intensify the efforts in search for new approaches to prevent infectious diseases. Such a direction was indicated in studies over the last two decades showing that adhesion of pathogens, primarily via glycoconjugate or protein receptors of the host tissue, is crucial for the infectious process. Moreover, it was found that infection can be prevented by blocking adhesion of the pathogen to mucosal surfaces of the host. The various aspects of interference with the process of microbial adhesion as a way of preventing diseases were the subject of the Bat-Sheva Seminar, "Towards Anti-Adhesion Therapy of Microbial Infectious Diseases," held in Zichron Yaakov, Israel, February 25 to March I, 1996. A major aim of the Bat-Sheva de Rothschild Foundation for the Advancement of Science in Israel, which sponsors a series of seminars, ours among them, is to provide the necessary tools and settings for international forums and exposure of young scientists and promising students to the state of the art of the field. This goal has been achieved during the week's discussions, and its major aspects are presented in this compendium. The seminar's participants, as well as the readers of this book, thank the founder and Foundation for their support. This book includes the major themes of this rapidly growing area. However, by no means do we intend to cover every bit and piece in it. The book's first section deals with the lectin-sugar interactions and their inhibitors.