The effect of intestinal colonization of germ-free pigs with Escherichia coli on calprotectin levels in plasma, intestinal and bronchoalveolar lavages.
Calprotectin levels were measured by ELISA in plasma, terminal small bowel lavage and bronchoalveolar lavage from 8-day-old germ-free piglets or gnotobiotic piglets 24 h after colonization with one of the following Escherichia coli strains: non-pathogenic O86, probiotic Nissle 1917 or enteropathogenic O55. The concentration of calprotectin in plasma was about 30 ng/ml only in germ-free piglets and piglets associated with non-pathogenic E. coli. Piglets infected with O55 showed a significant increase of plasma calprotectin and the highest mean level of calprotectin in the bronchoalveolar lavage, which was coincident with septicaemia. However, in the lumen of the small intestine, E. coli Nissle 1917 alone elicited a significant increase of the calprotectin level which was confirmed by immunofluorescence and APAAP immunohistochemistry on cryostat sections through the small bowel. The relevance of this finding to the therapeutic effect of E. coli Nissle 1917 in inflammatory bowel disease is discussed.
Splíchal
Igor
I
Division of Immunology and Gnotobiology, Institute of Microbiology, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Doly 183, 54922 Nový Hrádek, Czech Republic. splichal@biomed.cas.cz
Fagerhol
Magne K
MK
Trebichavský
Ilja
I
Splíchalová
Alla
A
Schulze
Jürgen
J
D000818:Animals; D018893:Bronchoalveolar Lavage; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000382:microbiology*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000502:physiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000097:blood* / Q000382:microbiology*; D005856:Germ-Free Life / Q000502:physiology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex / Q000097:blood*; D013552:Swine
D039841:Leukocyte L1 Antigen Complex