Relationships among Broad-Spectrum and Narrow-Spectrum Mannose-Resistant Fimbrial Hemagglutinins in DifferentYersiniaSpecies

Abstract
When 117 strains of Yersinia were grown in serial broth culture at 22.degree. or 30.degree. C, 44 (38%) formed a broad-spectrum, mannose-resistant hemagglutinin (MR/Y-HA) associated with thick (8 nm) channelled (MR/Y) fimbriae; 8 other strains (7%) formed a narrow-spectrum, mannose-resistant hemagglutinin (MR/K-like HA) associated with thin (4 nm) non-channeled (type 3-like) fimbriae. The distribution of these 2 fimbrial hemagglutinins in different Yersinia spp. is discussed and their properties are compared with those of other reported mannose-resistant hemagglutinins. The thick fimbriae of 4 Yersinia spp. were antigenically similar as judged by immuno EM. The thin fimbriae of 3 Yersinia spp. were antigenically similar, though different from the thick fimbriae.