MUC5AC and escherichia coli infection: The anti-mucinase activity exerted by anti-SslE polyclonal antibodies in vitro, corroborated by a reduced colonization of caecum in mice immunized with recombinant SslE, further support the hypothesis that the impairment of mucin cleavage may account for the mechanisms of protection from E. coli infections in both the mucosal tissues of the gut and the urinary tract [48], [49].