This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Knutton, S Articles by McNeish, A S Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Knutton, S Articles by McNeish, A S

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infect Immun. 1989 November; 57(11): 3364-3371

Adhesion and ultrastructural properties of human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli producing colonization factor antigens III and IV.

Institute of Child Health, University of Birmingham, United Kingdom.

ABSTRACT

Human enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) producing colonization factor antigen III (CFA/III) and coli surface antigens 4, 5, and 6 (CS4, CS5, and CS6) of CFA/IV were examined ultrastructurally and for ability to adhere to human small intestinal enterocytes and to cultured human intestinal mucosa. Strains of serotypes O25:H-, O25:H42, and O167:H5 producing CFA/III plus CS6, CS4 plus CS6, and CS5 plus CS6, respectively, showed good adhesion to human enterocytes (1.8 to 4.2 bacteria per brush border) and cultured human intestinal mucosa, whereas variants lacking these antigens or producing only CS6 were nonadherent (0 to 0.03 bacterium per brush border). By electron microscopy, CFA/III, CS4, and CS5 appeared as morphologically distinct rodlike fimbriae: CFA/III was 7 to 8 nm in diameter, CS4 was 6 to 7 nm in diameter, and CS5 was 5 to 6 nm in diameter. CS5 was unusual in that it appeared to be composed of two fine fibrils arranged in a double-helical structure. CS6 was difficult to characterize morphologically but possibly has a very fine fibrillar structure. By specific fimbrial staining and immunoelectron microscopy. CS4 and CS5 were shown to promote mucosal adhesion of ETEC; a similar adhesion role for the CS6 antigen could not be confirmed. ETEC strains of serotypes O27:H7, O27:H20, O148:H28, and O159:H20 which produced CS6 showed good adhesion to human enterocytes (1.6 to 3.0 bacteria per brush border), whereas variants which lacked CS6 were nonadherent (0 to 0.01 bacterium per brush border). These strains, however, also produced fimbrial or fibrillar surface antigens, in addition to CS6, which probably represent additional coli surface antigens responsible for the observed adhesive properties of these ETEC serotypes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lapa, J. A., Sincock, S. A., Ananthakrishnan, M., Porter, C. K., Cassels, F. J., Brinkley, C., Hall, E. R., van Hamont, J., Gramling, J. D., Carpenter, C. M., Baqar, S., Tribble, D. R. (2008). Randomized Clinical Trial Assessing the Safety and Immunogenicity of Oral Microencapsulated Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli Surface Antigen 6 with or without Heat-Labile Enterotoxin with Mutation R192G. CVI 15: 1222-1228 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Runco, L. M., Myrczek, S., Bliska, J. B., Thanassi, D. G. (2008). Biogenesis of the Fraction 1 Capsule and Analysis of the Ultrastructure of Yersinia pestis. J. Bacteriol. 190: 3381-3385 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nuccio, S.-P., Baumler, A. J. (2007). Evolution of the Chaperone/Usher Assembly Pathway: Fimbrial Classification Goes Greek. Microbiol. Mol. Biol. Rev. 71: 551-575 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ludi, S., Frey, J., Favre, D., Stoffel, M. H. (2006). Assessing the Expression of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli-specific Surface Antigens in Recombinant Strains by Transmission Electron Microscopy and Immunolabeling. J. Histochem. Cytochem. 54: 473-477 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Duthy, T. G., Manning, P. A., Heuzenroeder, M. W. (2002). Identification and Characterization of Assembly Proteins of CS5 Pili from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 184: 1065-1077 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Soto, G. E., Hultgren, S. J. (1999). Bacterial Adhesins: Common Themes and Variations in Architecture and Assembly. J. Bacteriol. 181: 1059-1071 [Full Text]  
• Hicks, S., Frankel, G., Kaper, J. B., Dougan, G., Phillips, A. D. (1998). Role of Intimin and Bundle-Forming Pili in Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Adhesion to Pediatric Intestinal Tissue In Vitro. Infect. Immun. 66: 1570-1578 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Nataro, J. P., Kaper, J. B. (1998). Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli. Clin. Microbiol. Rev. 11: 142-201 [Abstract] [Full Text]