Journal List > Urogenit Tract Infect > v.12(3) > 1084217

Kim and Lee: Adherence Assay of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli In Vivo and In Vitro

Abstract

Purpose:

This study aims to investigate the specific pathogenic properties or virulent determinant characteristics of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) as bacterial adherence in tissue culture cells in vitro and the pathogenicity in animal model in vivo.

Materials and Methods:

Thirty strains of E. coli were isolated from urine of patients with acute pyelonephritis. Four cell lines—HeLa cells, HEp-2 cells, A-498 cells, and J-82 cells—were used for bacterial adherence assay. Histologic examination and scanning electron microscopy examination of pyelonephritis or cystitis, which was caused by E. coli, in mice was performed.

Results:

Sixteen (53.3%) strains of E. coli appeared to adhere to at least one or more kinds of four cell lines, and seven strains were able to adhere to all four cell lines. All of the tested E. coli strains were adhered to the mouse bladder and kidneys. The number of bacteria colonized in the kidney was greater than that of bladders in the following 5 strains of E. coli: TME104, TME107, TME113, TME306, and TME119. There was no difference in the number of bacteria colonized in the bladder and kidneys in the aspects of adherence patterns to tissue culture cells.

Conclusions:

Although there was no best choice cell lines in the adherence assay to identify the adherence patterns, combined assays of in vitro cell culture and in vivo model of mouse urinary tract infection appeared to be efficient methods to investigate the role of bacterial adherence in the pathogenesis of UPEC.

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Fig. 1.
Light micrographs showing 3 types of adherence pattern in HeLa, HEp-2, A-498, and J-82 cells. DA denotes a diffuse adherence to the TME104 strain on the dispersed surface of the cultured cells. LA represents a localized adherence of the TME303 strain to the localized areas of cultured cells and formed to particulate microcolonies. AA denotes an aggregative adherence of TME114 strain to the cultured cells. Note the characteristic aggregates of bacteria that showed “stacked-brick” appearance. They bound aggregately to both of cultured cells and bottom of cell culture dish (×500).
uti-12-122f1.tif
Fig. 2.
Inflammation of the mouse bladder (A) and kidney (B) caused by bacterial infections. H&E, ×100.
uti-12-122f2.tif
Fig. 3.
Scanning electron micrographs showing diffuse adherence (DA) of TME104, localized adherence (LA) of TME303, and aggregative adherence (AA) of TME114 Escherichia coli strains adhered to J-82 cells. Magnification, ×1,500.
uti-12-122f3.tif
Fig. 4.
Scanning electron micrographs showing TME116 (A, B), TME303 (C, D), and TME114 (E, F) Escherichia coli strains adhering to mouse urinary bladder. Magnification, A, C, E: ×2,200; B, D, F: ×15,000. DA: diffuse adherence, LA: localized adherence, AA: aggregative adherence, NA: non-adherence.
uti-12-122f4.tif
Table 1.
Adherence of Escherichia coli strains to the host cells
Strain no. HeLa HEp-2 A-498 J-82
TLE102 DA (54.5±14.8) DA (82.0±7.4) AA (68.2±5.3) AA (45.3±9.6)
TLE103 NA NA LA (17.0±4.4) LA (27.8±6.5)
TLE104 NA NA NA LA (34.3±7.1)
TLE105 NA NA NA LA (17.0±0.8)
TME102 LA (11.2±5.8) LA (16.2±2.3) NA NA
TME103 NA NA DA (18.2±6.1) DA (19.5±4.2)
TME104 DA (178.3±16.5) DA (208.8±17.4) DA (37.5±12.4) DA (147.8±22.4)
TME107 LA (9.7±3.9) LA (7.8±1.3) NA NA
TME108 DA (70.2±20.0) DA (53.5±10.6) AA (70.0±19.7) DA (40.5±10.8)
TME113 LA (31.2±9.8) LA (35.2±8.6) DA (15.2±4.1) DA (16.0±2.8)
TME114 AA (39.5±5.9) AA (32.0±5.8) AA (34.8±7.2) AA (30.5±8.0)
TME116 DA (19.0±5.0) DA (31.0±4.6) DA (24.0±5.5) DA (17.0±5.5)
TME303 LA (29.3±4.8) LA (45.5±5.0) LA (35.8±14.8) LA (24.2±5.7)
TME304 NA NA LA (27.8±5.4) LA (32.7±15.2)
TME306 AA (14.0±2.4) AA (28.0±5.3) NA NA
TME307 AA (22.5±7.4) AA (43.0±3.4) ND ND

The number of bacteria adhered to each host cells are presented as mean±standard error of the mean.

DA: diffuse adherence, AA: aggregative adherence, NA: non-adherence, LA: localized adherence, ND: almost all cultures cells were detached and lysed, and adherence pattern and degree of E. coli strains could not be determined.

Table 2.
In vivo adherence of Escherichia coli strains to mouse bladder and kidneys
Strain no. Adherence pattern No. of bacteria (/0.1 ml of tissue homogenate)a)
Bladder Kidneys
TME104 DA 5.5×107 1.7×108
TME108 DA 9.4×104 3.5×104
TME116 DA 2.1×105 6.7×104
TME107 LA 3.5×104 9.5×104
TME113 LA 3.2×104 1.3×105
TME303 LA 7.1×106 2.2×103
TME114 AA 7.4×108 5.2×108
TME306 AA 3.1×105 3.3×105
TME307 AA 1.2×104 6.0×102
TME115 NA 9.2×105 7.2×105
TME117 NA 5.1×105 6.3×103
TME119 NA 1.2×104 6.1×106

DA: diffuse adherence, LA: localized adherence, AA: aggregative adherence, NA: non-adherence.

a) The numbers of bacteria adhered to bladder and kidneys were the mean numbers of double experiments.

Table 3.
Histological changes of mouse urinary tract after intravesical inoculation with Escherichia coli strains
Strain no. Adherence pattern No. of mice with
Cystitis & pyelitis Only cystitis Only pyelitis
TME116 DA 3/5 0/5 2/5
TME303 LA 2/3 1/3 0/3
TME114 AA 0/4 3/4 0/4
TME115 NA 0/3 1/3 1/3

DA: diffuse adherence, LA: localized adherence, AA: aggregative adherence, NA: non-adherence.

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