Adherence of type 1-fimbriated Escherichia coli to uroepithelial cells: more in diabetic women than in control subjects.
OBJECTIVE
Women with diabetes have bacteriuria more often than women without diabetes. Because Escherichia coli adhere better to vaginal cells of nondiabetic patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) than to those obtained from healthy control subjects, it was hypothesized that E. coli adhere more to the uroepithelial cells of diabetic women, either because of substances excreted in the urine (e.g., albumin, glucose, and Tamm Horsfall protein) or because of a difference in the uroepithelial cells.


METHODS
A T24 bladder cell line and uroepithelial cells of 25 diabetic women and 19 control subjects were incubated with three different E. coli strains.


RESULTS
The mean numbers of type 1-fimbriated E. coli that adhered to diabetic and control cells were 12.9 and 6.1 (P = 0.001), respectively, whereas those of P-fimbriated E. coli were 8.8 and 8.1 (P = 0.8), and those of nonfimbriated E. coli were 2.7 and 3.4 (P = 0.4). The addition of various substances did not influence the adherence of E. coli to a T24 bladder cell line.


CONCLUSIONS
Type 1-fimbriated E. coli adhere more to diabetic than to control uroepithelial cells.
Geerlings
Suzanne E
SE
Department of Internal Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Meiland
Ruby
R
van Lith
Emiel C
EC
Brouwer
Ellen C
EC
Gaastra
Wim
W
Hoepelman
Andy I M
AI
D000328:Adult; D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology*; D002460:Cell Line; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D010861:Fimbriae, Bacterial / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens; D008875:Middle Aged; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000166:cytology; D019459:Urothelium / Q000166:cytology / Q000382:microbiology*; D014774:Virulence
D007983:Lewis Blood Group Antigens