title: Role of motility in the colonization of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in the urinary tract.
abstract: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) causes most uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in humans. Flagellum-mediated motility and chemotaxis have been suggested to contribute to virulence by enabling UPEC to escape host immune responses and disperse to new sites within the urinary tract. To evaluate their contribution to virulence, six separate flagellar mutations were constructed in UPEC strain CFT073. The mutants constructed were shown to have four different flagellar phenotypes: fliA and fliC mutants do not produce flagella; the flgM mutant has similar levels of extracellular flagellin as the wild type but exhibits less motility than the wild type; the motAB mutant is nonmotile; and the cheW and cheY mutants are motile but nonchemotactic. Virulence was assessed by transurethral independent challenges and cochallenges of CBA mice with the wild type and each mutant. CFU/ml of urine or CFU/g bladder or kidney was determined 3 days postinoculation for the independent challenges and at 6, 16, 48, 60, and 72 h postinoculation for the cochallenges. While these mutants colonized the urinary tract during independent challenge, each of the mutants was outcompeted by the wild-type strain to various degrees at specific time points during cochallenge. Altogether, these results suggest that flagella and flagellum-mediated motility/chemotaxis may not be absolutely required for virulence but that these traits contribute to the fitness of UPEC and therefore significantly enhance the pathogenesis of UTIs caused by UPEC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, 5641 Medical Science Building II, 1150 West Medical Center Drive, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
authors.forename: M Chelsea
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Lane
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lockatell
authors.forename: Greta
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Monterosso
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lamphier
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weinert
authors.forename: J Richard
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hebel
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Harry L T
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Mobley
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000652:urine; D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005407:Flagella / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D005816:Genetic Complementation Test; D007668:Kidney / Q000382:microbiology; D051379:Mice; D008808:Mice, Inbred CBA; D009154:Mutation; D010641:Phenotype; D013997:Time Factors; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000382:microbiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000652:urine
chemical_list: D029968:Escherichia coli Proteins