A heat stable hemagglutinating activity of Eikenella corrodens

Strains of Eikenella corrodens and Fusobacterium nucleatum were shown to possess lectinlike attachment factors. The present investigators found that E. corrodens has a heat stable factor which agglutinates sheep, mouse, and human erythrocytes. The activity is not abolished by additions of galactose or lactose. Lipopolysaccharide preparations from E. corrodens strains possessed strong hemagglutinating activity. LPSs of F. nucleatum did not agglutinate any erythrocytes tested. SDS-PAGE patterns stained with silver stain revealed that the LPSs of E. corrodens strains were rough type and those of F. nucleatum were wild type. The heat stable hemagglutinating activity of E. corrodens strains might be caused the rough type LPS of the cells.