Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Any of various substances present on the cell membranes of bacteria that facilitate binding to the cell of a host and that are used as antigens in some vaccines because their location on the cell surface makes them accessible to antibodies.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun biochemistry Any of several factors that enable bacteria to adhere to epithelial surfaces as a step towards infection

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[adhes(ion) + –in.]

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