P₁-antigen-containing avian egg whites as inhibitors of P adhesins among wild-type Escherichia coli strains from patients with urosepsis

Among 58 Escherichia coli urosepsis isolates, P₁-antigen-containing dove and pigeon egg whites were significantly more effective inhibitors of P- adhesin-specific agglutination than were chicken egg whites or globoside. Globoside's inefficacy may have resulted from a proadherence effect of globoside's lipid tail. Adhesin phenotypes determined with dove and pigeon egg whites as agglutination inhibitors corresponded closely with phenotypes defined by comparative hemagglutination of human P₁ and p erythrocytes. These data suggest that avian P₁-antigen-containing substances may provide a useful alternative method for P adhesin inhibition among uropathogenic E. coli strains.