Enterococcal aggregation substance and binding substance are not major contributors to urinary tract colonization by Enterococcus faecalis in a mouse model of ascending unobstructed urinary tract infection - PubMed (original) (raw)

Enterococcal aggregation substance and binding substance are not major contributors to urinary tract colonization by Enterococcus faecalis in a mouse model of ascending unobstructed urinary tract infection

James R Johnson et al. Infect Immun. 2004 Apr.

Abstract

Isogenic Enterococcus faecalis strains that differ in their expression of aggregation substance (AS) and its cognate receptor, enterococcal binding substance (EBS), were compared for urovirulence in mice. Strain OG1SSp/pCF500 (inducible AS(+), constitutive EBS(+)) failed to outcompete isogenic derivative INY3000 (AS(-) EBS(-)) in the urine, bladders, or kidneys of mice harvested at 48 h postinoculation. Neither mouse nor human urine induced AS expression by OG1SSp/pCF500. Recombinant strain OG1SSp/pINY1801 (constitutive AS(+), EBS(+)) exhibited plasmid segregation that was as extensive in vivo as in vitro. These data suggest that AS and EBS do not contribute to upper or lower urinary tract colonization by E. faecalis and that growth in urine does not induce AS expression by strains carrying plasmids in the pCF10 family.

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Figures

FIG. 1.

Induction of expression of AS by E. faecalis. Lane 1, OG1/pCF500 in PBS. Lane 2, OG1/pCF500 in THB plus cCF10. Lane 3, OG1/pCF500 in human urine. Lane 4, OG1/pCF500 in mouse urine. Lane 5, INY3000 in PBS. Lane 6, INY3000 in THB plus cCF10. Lane 7, INY3000 in human urine. Lane 8, INY3000 in mouse urine. Samples were assayed for expression of AS by Western blotting after incubation for 0, 1, 3, or 5 h. Positive control spots (pos. cntl.) (for orientation) are from purified Asc10 protein. Purified AS protein (Asc10) was spotted as a positive control and to mark the various lanes. The only expression of AS detected was with OG1/pCF500 in THB plus cCF10 (lane 2). Similar bacterial concentrations were present in all samples (data not shown).

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Enterococcal aggregation substance and binding substance are not major contributors to urinary tract colonization by Enterococcus faecalis in a mouse model of ascending unobstructed urinary tract infection - PubMed (original) (raw)