scholarly journals Role of Klebsiella pneumoniae Type 1 and Type 3 Fimbriae in Colonizing Silicone Tubes Implanted into the Bladders of Mice as a Model of Catheter-Associated Urinary Tract Infections

2013 ◽  
Vol 81 (8) ◽  
pp. 3009-3017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caitlin N. Murphy ◽  
Martin S. Mortensen ◽  
Karen A. Krogfelt ◽  
Steven Clegg

ABSTRACTCatheter-associated urinary tract infections are biofilm-mediated infections that cause a significant economic and health burden in nosocomial environments. Using a newly developed murine model of this type of infection, we investigated the role of fimbriae in implant-associated urinary tract infections by the Gram-negative bacteriumKlebsiella pneumoniae, which is a proficient biofilm former and a commonly isolated nosocomial pathogen. Studies have shown that type 1 and type 3 fimbriae are involved in attachment and biofilm formationin vitro, and these fimbrial types are suspected to be important virulence factors during infection. To test this hypothesis, the virulence of fimbrial mutants was assessed in independent challenges in which mouse bladders were inoculated with the wild type or a fimbrial mutant and in coinfection studies in which the wild type and fimbrial mutants were inoculated together to assess the results of a direct competition in the urinary tract. Using these experiments, we were able to show that both fimbrial types serve to enhance colonization and persistence. Additionally, a double mutant had an additive colonization defect under some conditions, indicating that both fimbrial types have unique roles in the attachment and persistence in the bladder and on the implant itself. All of these mutants were outcompeted by the wild type in coinfection experiments. Using these methods, we are able to show that type 1 and type 3 fimbriae are important colonization factors in the murine urinary tract when an implanted silicone tube is present.

Nanomaterials ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (11) ◽  
pp. 2247
Author(s):  
Pawel Kallas ◽  
Håvard J Haugen ◽  
Nikolaj Gadegaard ◽  
John Stormonth-Darling ◽  
Mats Hulander ◽  
...  

Bacterial fimbriae are an important virulence factor mediating adhesion to both biotic and abiotic surfaces and facilitating biofilm formation. The expression of type 1 fimbriae of Escherichia coli is a key virulence factor for urinary tract infections and catheter-associated urinary tract infections, which represent the most common nosocomial infections. New strategies to reduce adhesion of bacteria to surfaces is therefore warranted. The aim of the present study was to investigate how surfaces with different nanotopography-influenced fimbriae-mediated adhesion. Surfaces with three different nanopattern surface coverages made in polycarbonate were fabricated by injection molding from electron beam lithography nanopatterned templates. The surfaces were constructed with features of approximately 40 nm width and 25 nm height with 100 nm, 250 nm, and 500 nm interspace distance, respectively. The role of fimbriae type 1-mediated adhesion was investigated using the E. coli wild type BW25113 and ΔfimA (with a knockout of major pilus protein FimA) and ΔfimH (with a knockout of minor protein FimH) mutants. For the surfaces with nanotopography, all strains adhered least to areas with the largest interpillar distance (500 nm). For the E. coli wild type, no difference in adhesion between surfaces without pillars and the largest interpillar distance was observed. For the deletion mutants, increased adhesion was observed for surfaces without pillars compared to surfaces with the largest interpillar distance. The presence of a fully functional type 1 fimbria decreased the bacterial adhesion to the nanopatterned surfaces in comparison to the mutants.


mBio ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura C. Ristow ◽  
Vy Tran ◽  
Kevin J. Schwartz ◽  
Lillie Pankratz ◽  
Andrew Mehle ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTTheEscherichia colihemolysin (HlyA) is a pore-forming exotoxin associated with severe complications of human urinary tract infections. HlyA is the prototype of the repeats-in-toxin (RTX) family, which includes LtxA fromAggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, a periodontal pathogen. The existence and requirement for a host cell receptor for these toxins are controversial. We performed an unbiased forward genetic selection in a mutant library of human monocytic cells, U-937, for host factors involved in HlyA cytotoxicity. The top candidate was the β2integrin β subunit. Δβ2cell lines are approximately 100-fold more resistant than wild-type U-937 cells to HlyA, but remain sensitive to HlyA at high concentrations. Similarly, Δβ2cells are more resistant than wild-type U-937 cells to LtxA, as Δβ2cells remain LtxA resistant even at >1,000-fold-higher concentrations of the toxin. Loss of any single β2integrin α subunit, or even all four α subunits together, does not confer resistance to HlyA. HlyA and LtxA bind to the β2subunit, but not to αL, αM, or αXin far-Western blots. Genetic complementation of Δβ2cells with either β2or β2with a cytoplasmic tail deletion restores HlyA and LtxA sensitivity, suggesting that β2integrin signaling is not required for cytotoxicity. Finally, β2mutations do not alter sensitivity to unrelated pore-forming toxins, as wild-type or Δβ2cells are equally sensitive toStaphylococcus aureusα-toxin andProteus mirabilisHpmA. Our studies show two RTX toxins use the β2integrin β subunit alone to facilitate cytotoxicity, but downstream integrin signaling is dispensable.IMPORTANCEUrinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections worldwide. UropathogenicEscherichia colistrains are responsible for more than 80% of community-acquired urinary tract infections. Although we have known for nearly a century that severe infections stemming from urinary tract infections, including kidney or bloodstream infections are associated with expression of a toxin, hemolysin, from uropathogenicEscherichia coli, how hemolysin functions to enhance virulence is unknown. Our research defines the interaction of hemolysin with the β2integrin, a human white cell adhesion molecule, as a potential therapeutic target during urinary tract infections. TheE. colihemolysin is the prototype for a toxin family (RTX family) produced by a wide array of human and animal pathogens. Our work extends to the identification and characterization of the receptor for an additional member of the RTX family, suggesting that this interaction may be broadly conserved throughout the RTX toxin family.


2020 ◽  
Vol 202 (20) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric C. DiBiasio ◽  
Hilary J. Ranson ◽  
James R. Johnson ◽  
David C. Rowley ◽  
Paul S. Cohen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the leading cause of human urinary tract infections (UTIs), and many patients experience recurrent infection after successful antibiotic treatment. The source of recurrent infections may be persistent bacterial reservoirs in vivo that are in a quiescent state and thus are not susceptible to antibiotics. Here, we show that multiple UPEC strains require a quorum to proliferate in vitro with glucose as the carbon source. At low cell density, the bacteria remain viable but enter a quiescent, nonproliferative state. Of the clinical UPEC isolates tested to date, 35% (51/145) enter this quiescent state, including isolates from the recently emerged, multidrug-resistant pandemic lineage ST131 (i.e., strain JJ1886) and isolates from the classic endemic lineage ST73 (i.e., strain CFT073). Moreover, quorum-dependent UPEC quiescence is prevented and reversed by small-molecule proliferants that stimulate colony formation. These proliferation cues include d-amino acid-containing peptidoglycan (PG) tetra- and pentapeptides, as well as high local concentrations of l-lysine and l-methionine. Peptidoglycan fragments originate from the peptidoglycan layer that supports the bacterial cell wall but are released as bacteria grow. These fragments are detected by a variety of organisms, including human cells, other diverse bacteria, and, as we show here for the first time, UPEC. Together, these results show that for UPEC, (i) sensing of PG stem peptide and uptake of l-lysine modulate the quorum-regulated decision to proliferate and (ii) quiescence can be prevented by both intra- and interspecies PG peptide signaling. IMPORTANCE Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs). During pathogenesis, UPEC cells adhere to and infiltrate bladder epithelial cells, where they may form intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs) or enter a nongrowing or slowly growing quiescent state. Here, we show in vitro that UPEC strains at low population density enter a reversible, quiescent state by halting division. Quiescent cells resume proliferation in response to sensing a quorum and detecting external signals, or cues, including peptidoglycan tetra- and pentapeptides.


2004 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Regué ◽  
Beatriz Hita ◽  
Nuria Piqué ◽  
Luis Izquierdo ◽  
Susana Merino ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Klebsiella pneumoniae strains typically express both smooth lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with O antigen molecules and capsule polysaccharide (K antigen) on the surface. A single mutation in a gene that codes for a UDP galacturonate 4-epimerase (uge) renders a strain with the O−:K− phenotype (lack of capsule and LPS without O antigen molecules and outer core oligosaccharide). The uge gene was present in all the K. pneumoniae strains tested. The K. pneumoniae uge mutants were unable to produce experimental urinary tract infections in rats and were completely avirulent in two different animal models (septicemia and pneumonia). Reintroduction of the single uge wild-type gene in the corresponding mutants completely restored the wild-type phenotype (presence of capsule and smooth LPS) independently of the O or K serotype of the wild type. Furthermore, complemented uge mutants recovered the ability to produce experimental urinary tract infections in rats and virulence in the septicemia and pneumonia animal models.


2016 ◽  
Vol 198 (19) ◽  
pp. 2662-2672 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyle A. Floyd ◽  
Courtney A. Mitchell ◽  
Allison R. Eberly ◽  
Spencer J. Colling ◽  
Ellisa W. Zhang ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTUropathogenicEscherichia coli(UPEC), which causes the majority of urinary tract infections (UTI), uses pilus-mediated adherence to initiate biofilm formation in the urinary tract. Oxygen gradients withinE. colibiofilms regulate expression and localization of adhesive type 1 pili. A transposon mutant screen for strains defective in biofilm formation identified theubiI(formerlyvisC) aerobic ubiquinone synthase gene as critical for UPEC biofilm formation. In this study, we characterized a nonpolarubiIdeletion mutant and compared its behavior to that of wild-type bacteria grown under aerobic and anoxic conditions. Consistent with its function as an aerobic ubiquinone-8 synthase, deletion ofubiIin UPEC resulted in reduced membrane potential, diminished motility, and reduced expression of chaperone-usher pathway pili. Loss of aerobic respiration was previously shown to negatively impact expression of type 1 pili. To determine whether this reduction in type 1 pili was due to an energy deficit, wild-type UPEC and theubiImutant were compared for energy-dependent phenotypes under anoxic conditions, in which quinone synthesis is undertaken by anaerobic quinone synthases. Under anoxic conditions, the two strains exhibited wild-type levels of motility but produced diminished numbers of type 1 pili, suggesting that the reduction of type 1 pilus expression in the absence of oxygen is not due to a cellular energy deficit. Acute- and chronic-infection studies in a mouse model of UTI revealed a significant virulence deficit in theubiImutant, indicating that UPEC encounters enough oxygen in the bladder to induce aerobic ubiquinone synthesis during infection.IMPORTANCEThe majority of urinary tract infections are caused by uropathogenicE. coli, a bacterium that can respire in the presence and absence of oxygen. The bladder environment is hypoxic, with oxygen concentrations ranging from 4% to 7%, compared to 21% atmospheric oxygen. This work provides evidence that aerobic ubiquinone synthesis must be engaged during bladder infection, indicating that UPEC bacteria sense and use oxygen as a terminal electron acceptor in the bladder and that this ability drives infection potential despite the fact that UPEC is a facultative anaerobe.


2017 ◽  
Vol 118 ◽  
pp. 64-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andreia S. Azevedo ◽  
Carina Almeida ◽  
Luciana C. Gomes ◽  
Carla Ferreira ◽  
Filipe J. Mergulhão ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (12) ◽  
pp. 1023-1034 ◽  
Author(s):  
José JC Sidrim ◽  
Bruno R Amando ◽  
Francisco IF Gomes ◽  
Marilia SMG do Amaral ◽  
Paulo CP de Sousa ◽  
...  

Aim: This study proposes the impregnation of Foley catheters with chlorpromazine (CPZ) to control biofilm formation by Escherichia coli, Proteus mirabilis and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Materials & methods: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for CPZ and the effect of CPZ on biofilm formation were assessed. Afterward, biofilm formation and the effect of ciprofloxacin and meropenem (at MIC) on mature biofilms grown on CPZ-impregnated catheters were evaluated. Results: CPZ MIC range was 39.06–625 mg/l. CPZ significantly reduced (p < 0.05) biofilm formation in vitro and on impregnated catheters. In addition, CPZ-impregnation potentiated the antibiofilm activity of ciprofloxacin and meropenem. Conclusion: These findings bring perspectives for the use of CPZ as an adjuvant for preventing and treating catheter-associated urinary tract infections.


2012 ◽  
Vol 56 (11) ◽  
pp. 5744-5748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Neuner ◽  
Jennifer Sekeres ◽  
Gerri S. Hall ◽  
David van Duin

ABSTRACTFosfomycin has shown promisingin vitroactivity against multidrug-resistant (MDR) urinary pathogens; however, clinical data are lacking. We conducted a retrospective chart review to describe the microbiological and clinical outcomes of urinary tract infections (UTIs) with MDR pathogens treated with fosfomycin tromethamine. Charts for 41 hospitalized patients with a urine culture for an MDR pathogen who received fosfomycin tromethamine from 2006 to 2010 were reviewed. Forty-one patients had 44 urinary pathogens, including 13 carbapenem-resistantKlebsiella pneumoniae(CR-Kp), 8Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and 7 vancomycin-resistantEnterococcus faecium(VRE) isolates, 7 extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producers, and 9 others.In vitrofosfomycin susceptibility was 86% (median MIC, 16 μg/ml; range, 0.25 to 1,024 μg/ml). Patients received an average of 2.9 fosfomycin doses per treatment course. The overall microbiological cure was 59%; failure was due to either relapse (24%) or reinfection UTI (17%). Microbiological cure rates by pathogen were 46% for CR-Kp, 38% forP. aeruginosa, 71% for VRE, 57% for ESBL producers, and 100% for others. Microbiological cure (n= 24) was compared to microbiological failure (n= 17). There were significantly more solid organ transplant recipients in the microbiological failure group (59% versus 21%;P= 0.02). None of the patients in the microbiological cure group had a ureteral stent, compared to 24% of patients within the microbiological failure group (P= 0.02). Fosfomycin demonstratedin vitroactivity against UTIs due to MDR pathogens. For CR-KP, there was a divergence betweenin vitrosusceptibility (92%) and microbiological cure (46%). Multiple confounding factors may have contributed to microbiological failures, and further data regarding the use of fosfomycin for UTIs due to MDR pathogens are needed.


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