[Streptococcus pneumoniae adhesion].

The adhesive capacity of 425 S.pneumoniae strains (S- and R-forms) isolated from children with various clinical forms of pneumococcal infection was studied with the use of the epithelium of oral cavity as a model. The strains isolated from patients with meningitis and otitis appeared to be less adhesive than the strains isolated from mucous membrane of respiratory tracts. In all clinical forms of infections the adhesive capacity of S.pneumoniae S-forms was significantly lower than that of R-forms. The hyaluronidase activity and the adhesive capacity of S.pneumoniae strains were found to be inversely related.