title: Isolation and characterisation of dog uropathogenic Proteus mirabilis strains.
abstract: Proteus mirabilis strains isolated from the urine of dogs with urinary tract infections, were characterised with respect to the production of haemolysin and fimbriae. In contrast to healthy dogs, P. mirabilis was also isolated in high numbers from the faeces of dogs suffering from recurrent urinary tract infections. Production of fimbriae was demonstrated by electron microscopy and the presence of genes for two different types of major fimbrial subunits (MR/P-like or UCA-like) was demonstrated by Southern hybridisation. These genes were absent in the Proteus vulgaris, Providentia rettgeri and Morganella morganii strains tested. All but one P. mirabilis strains were haemolytic and most strains produced fimbriae albeit in different amounts. The UCA fimbrial subunits from dog and human isolates have identical molecular weights and N-terminal sequences and are immunologically cross reactive. It was concluded that dog uropathogenic P. mirabilis strains are very similar to human uropathogenic P. mirabilis strains.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gaastra
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: van Oosterom
authors.forename: E W
authors.initials: EW
authors.lastname: Pieters
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Bergmans
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: van Dijk
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agnes
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: ter Huurne
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D004283:Dog Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D004285:Dogs; D005260:Female; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron / Q000662:veterinary; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011512:Proteus Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D011513:Proteus mirabilis / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins