The Gal(alpha 1-4)Gal-specific tip adhesin of Escherichia coli P-fimbriae is needed for pyelonephritis to occur in the normal urinary tract.
Nonobstructive acute pyelonephritis in humans is most often caused by P-fimbriated Escherichia coli. P-fimbriae are heteropolymeric fibers carrying a Gal(alpha 1-4)Gal-specific PapG adhesin at its distal end. The pyelonephritic strain DS17 expresses P-fimbriae from a single gene cluster. A mutant strain, DS17-8, which expresses P-fimbriae tacking the PapG adhesin, was constructed by allelic replacement introducing a 1-bp deletion early in the papG gene. In cynomolgus monkeys, DS17 and DS17-8 were equally able to cause bladder infection, whereas only the wild-type strain DS17 could cause pyelonephritis as monitored by bacteriological, functional, and histopathological criteria. Since DS17, but not DS17-8, adheres to renal tissue, these data underscore the critical role of microbial adherence to host tissues in infectious disease and strongly suggest that the PapG tip adhesin of P-fimbriae is essential in the pathogenesis of human kidney infection.
Roberts
J A
JA
Department of Urology, Tulane Regional Primate Center, Covington, LA 70433.
Marklund
B I
BI
Ilver
D
D
Haslam
D
D
Kaack
M B
MB
Baskin
G
G
Louis
M
M
Möllby
R
R
Winberg
J
J
Normark
S
S
D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002236:Carbohydrate Conformation; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000472:pathogenicity* / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D016253:Microscopy, Immunoelectron; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D005810:Multigene Family; D011704:Pyelonephritis / Q000382:microbiology*; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000382:microbiology*; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology*
D018830:Adhesins, Escherichia coli