ARE BACTERIAL LECTINS IMPORTANT FOR TUBERCULOSIS? INVESTIGATION OF THE CARBOHYDRATE BINDING SPECIFICITY OF MYCOBACTERIUM TUBERCULOSIS

摘要

130 years after the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberberculosis by Robert Koch tuberculosis still kills an estimated 1.7 million people each year and is one of the most dangerous infectious diseases world-wide. Invasion, proliferation and pathogenicity of the tuberculosis agent are based on bacterial adhesion to human cells and the adhesive interaction among themselves. Many bacteria adhere to their host cells by mediation of own lectins. Mycobacterial lectins are not well examined as yet, but there are some indications that D-arabinose- and D-mannose-specific lectins are involved in the adhesive processes [1-4].