title: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli adhere to urinary catheters without using fimbriae.
abstract: Five well-characterized urinary and fecal isolates of Escherichia coli were found to be hydrophilic irrespective of their serotypes and their ability to express fimbriae. All the strains were able to adhere to silicone latex urinary catheters, although strain 917, which expressed type P fimbriae as its only adhesin, adhered poorly. Although specific adhesins, particularly fimbriae, have been shown to mediate adhesion of E. coli to uroepithelial cells, they do not mediate specific adhesion onto urinary catheter material. The overall surfaces of the strains, tested using microelectrophoresis as a function of pH and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, were not significantly different, thus suggesting more non-specific adhesion mechanisms to urinary catheters.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. gregor@julian.uwo.ca
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reid
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: van der Mei
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tieszer
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Busscher
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D012826:Silicone Elastomers; D013045:Species Specificity; D014546:Urinary Catheterization; D014556:Urine / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D012826:Silicone Elastomers