Mouse virulence of K(L) antigen-containing strains of Escherichia coli.
The mouse virulence of two K antigen-containing (L variety) strains of Escherichia coli (serotype O2:K1) isolated from human septicemia, and of their variants which lacked K antigen, was studied. The strains containing envelope antigen (K+) were highly virulent when injected intracerebrally or when suspended in mucin and injected intraperitoneally. After intraperitoneal injection of E-107 K+ (but not K-), there was a marked initial growth in the peritoneal cavity followed by bacteremia and infection of all the organs examined. In the mucin-enhanced lethal infection, this growth continued until death of the animal; in the nonlethal infection, growth ceased and the count dropped quickly after approximately 5 hr. Host defenses were depressed greatly by intraperitoneally, but not intravenously, administered mucin. Bacteria were most virulent when injected intraperitoneally. In vitro phagocytosis of the K+ bacteria required opsonins not needed for phagocytosis of the smooth K- variants. Opsonins were found in immunized rabbit and normal mouse sera. Immune rabbit sera contained antibodies with anti-K specificity which were opsonic in vitro and highly protective in vivo when administered passively. There appears to be a lesser anti-O opsonic and protective activity involving one of the strains (E-107 K+), and colonial morphology, agglutination, and absorption tests indicated a low amount of K antigen on this organism. No anti-O opsonic or protective activity could be shown involving the other strain (E-102 K+). When standard serological typing procedures were used, these two strains appeared to be identical serologically, but they differed greatly in sensitivity to immune rabbit serum in phagocytosis experiments in vitro.
D000372:Agglutination Tests; D000941:Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D003165:Complement System Proteins; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000254:growth & development / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D007112:Immunity, Maternally-Acquired; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D009077:Mucins; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D010587:Phagocytosis; D018805:Sepsis / Q000382:microbiology; D014774:Virulence
D000941:Antigens; D009077:Mucins; D009895:Opsonin Proteins; D003165:Complement System Proteins