Glycomacropeptide from camel milk inhibits the adhesion of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 to porcine cells

Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) are a major cause of childhood diarrhoea and of diarrhoea in piglets and calves. This study compared the anti-adhesive activities against ETEC of glycomacropeptide (GMP) from Bactrian camels and dromedaries with that of bovine GMP. GMP was purified by ion ex-change chromatography and ultra -filtration. The monosaccharide content of GMP from Bactrian camels and dromedaries was about twice as high when compared with bovine GMP. Glycans from camels included fucose and N-acetylglucosamine, which were absent in bovine GMP. GMP from both camel species prevented ETEC adhesion to porcine blood cells at a concentration of 0.24 g L-1 to 0.28 g L-1 respectively, a concentration that is about 20-fold lower when compared with bovine GMP. This increased activity likely relates to the increased glycosylation and the density of glycan spacing, and/or to differences in the glycan composition. (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This study compared the anti-adhesive activities of glycomacropeptide (GMP) from camels with that of bovine GMP against enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). GMP from camels had higher monosaccharide content and showed more effective inhibition of ETEC adhesion compared to bovine GMP.