The control of infectious diseases caused by adhesive bacteria represents a major medical challenge. European researchers proposed the exploitation of the bacterial adhesive structures as antibiotic targets.
Bacteria contain on their surface elongated structures known as pili or fimbriae that help them attach onto target cells. These structures assemble by specific secretory machinery called the chaperone-usher pathway and are emerging as novel targets for the development of antibiotics.
Further details: Novel antibiotic targets