title: Enhanced Escherichia coli adherence and invasion in Crohn's disease and colon cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Altered mucosal glycosylation in inflammatory bowel disease and colon cancer could affect mucosal bacterial adherence. This study aimed to quantify and characterize mucosa-associated and intramucosal bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli, in these conditions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Mucosa-associated bacteria were isolated, after dithiothreitol mucolysis, from biopsy samples obtained at colonoscopy (Crohn's disease, n = 14 patients; ulcerative colitis, n = 21; noninflamed controls, n = 24) and at surgical resection (colon cancer, n = 21). Intramucosal bacteria were grown after gentamicin treatment followed by hypotonic lysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mucosa-associated and intramucosal bacteria were cultured more commonly in Crohn's disease (79%, P = 0.03; and 71%, P < 0.01, respectively), but not ulcerative colitis (38% and 48%), than in noninflamed controls (42% and 29%) and were commonly cultured from colon cancers (71% and 57%). Mucosa-associated E. coli, which accounted for 53% of isolates, were more common in Crohn's disease (6/14; 43%) than in noninflamed controls (4/24, 17%), as also were intramucosal E. coli: Crohn's disease, 29%; controls, 9%. E. coli expressed hemagglutinins in 39% of Crohn's cases and 38% of cancers but only 4% of controls, and this correlated (P = 0.01) with adherence to the I407 and HT29 cell lines. Invasion was cell-line dependent. E. coli, including nonadherent isolates, induced interleukin-8 release from the cell lines. E. coli adhesins showed no blood group specificity, excepting 1 cancer isolate (HM44) with specificity for the Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen, but they could be blocked by soluble plantain fiber.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These studies support a central role for mucosally adherent bacteria in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease and colon cancer. Soluble plant fibers that inhibit their adherence have therapeutic potential.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Henry Wellcome Laboratory of Molecular & Cellular Gastroenterology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Helen M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: Barry J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: C Anthony
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Hart
authors.forename: Chiedzo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mpofu
authors.forename: Manu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nayar
authors.forename: Ravinder
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Englyst
authors.forename: Helen F
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.forename: Jonathan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Rhodes
mesh_terms: D001422:Bacterial Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D018988:Bacterial Translocation / Q000502:physiology; D002460:Cell Line; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003108:Colonic Diseases / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006801:Humans; D007378:Interleukins
chemical_list: D007378:Interleukins