Microorganisms express a family of cell-surface adhesins that specifically recognize and bind components of the extracellular matrix. Adhesion of microorganisms to host tissues represents a critical phase in the development of many types of infections. Recent studies have focused on the mechanisms of microbial attachment at a molecular level, including the identification of ligand-binding domains in several cell-surface adhesins from Gram-positive bacteria and the construction of adhesin-deficient isogenic mutants.
