Piracy of adhesins: attachment of superinfecting pathogens to respiratory cilia by secreted adhesins of Bordetella pertussis.

Two proteins secreted by Bordetella pertussis are known to mediate adherence of these bacteria to mammalian respiratory cilia. When either ciliated cells or other pathogenic bacteria were pretreated with these adhesins, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Staphylococcus aureus acquired the ability to adhere to cilia in vitro and in vivo. Such piracy of adhesins may contribute to superinfection in mucosal diseases such as whooping cough.