[Staphylococcal adherence to rabbit epithelial cells]

The adherence of Staphylococcus aureus strains to rabbit epithelial cells has been studied. The strains have been shown to possess similar adhesiveness with respect to the epithelium of the mouth cavity of rabbits. The investigation, carried out with the use of one staphylococcal strain taken as a model, has revealed that the cells of this strain adhere to different areas of the epithelium in the mouth cavity in varying amounts, the amount of adhering bacteria depending on the age of rabbits. The data presented in this work suggest that in staphylococci adhering to rabbit epithelial cells the adhesive function is performed by thermostable and trypsin-resistant staphylococcal cell-wall surface structures of nonprotein nature.