Gastrointestinal infections--dietary interactions

Abstract

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the complexities involved in the production of bacterial diarrheal diseases. The general mechanisms of disease that have been recognized include enterotoxigenicity, enteroadherence, and invasiveness. The interplay of epithelial cell surface receptors with the surface components of the various bacterial pathogens or their toxins will be reviewed. Knowledge of the stereospecific interactions of bacterial ligands with the eukaryotic receptors has led to the development of new strategies for prevention and therapy. The presence of foodstuffs in the intestinal lumen can contribute by a number of mechanisms to interference with the invading organism's attack on the intestinal cell surfaces. The effects of milk fat and plant lectins on the colonization of the bowel by enteric organisms is discussed.