Screening of bacterial isolates for mannose-specific lectin activity by agglutination of yeasts

A total of 393 clinical bacterial isolates were tested for their ability to agglutinate yeast cells of either Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Candida albicans. A positive agglutination of yeasts that could be prevented by methyl alpha-D-mannoside was taken as an indication for the possible presence of a mannose-specific lectin (carbohydrate-binding protein) on the surface of the tested bacteria. Agglutination tests on glass slides showed that 38% of all the isolates tested were positive in their capacity to agglutinate yeasts. Among the various strains tested, all isolates of Serratia marcescens, Proteus morganii, and Citrobacter diversus, as well as 94% of Klebsiella pneumoniae, were positive. On the other hand, only 46% of the Escherichia coli, 48% of the salmonellae, 44% of the Citrobacter freundii, and 71% of the Aeromonas hydrophila isolates were positive. A quantitative determination of the lectin activity done by observing the agglutination of yeasts in microtiter plates showed that S. marcescens isolates were the most avid binders to the yeast, whereas Klebsiella and Citrobacter isolates were the weakest.