Electron microscopic study of an infected Foley catheter.
A scanning and transmission electron microscopic study was made of material from the surface of a Foley catheter removed from an 87-year-old woman with antibiotic-resistant bacteriuria. A thick, adherent bacterial biofilm was found. The sessile adherent bacteria were surrounded by an extensive exopolysaccharide glycocalyx that appears to be fundamental in the pathogenesis of catheter-associated urinary tract infections and their resistance to systemic antibiotic therapy.
D000368:Aged; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000209:etiology / Q000382:microbiology; D002408:Catheters, Indwelling / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004866:Equipment Contamination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D011552:Pseudomonas Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000209:etiology* / Q000382:microbiology