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Infection and Immunity, November 2002, p. 5990-5996, Vol. 70, No. 11
0019-9567/02/$04.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/IAI.70.11.5990-5996.2002
Copyright © 2002, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Role of Vibrio cholerae O139 Surface Polysaccharides in Intestinal Colonization

Zentrum für Infektionsforschung, Universität Würzburg, 97070 Würzburg, Germany,¹ University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas 78229-3900²

Received 8 May 2002/ Returned for modification 8 July 2002/ Accepted 5 August 2002

Since the first occurrence of O139 Vibrio cholerae as a cause of cholera epidemics, this serogroup has been investigated intensively, and it has been found that its pathogenicity is comparable to that of O1 El Tor strains. O139 isolates express a thin capsule, composed of a polymer of repeating units structurally identical to the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) O side chain. In this study, we investigated the role of LPS O side chain and capsular polysaccharide (CPS) in intestinal colonization by with genetically engineered mutants. We constructed CPS-negative, CPS/LPS O side chain-negative, and CPS-positive/LPS O side chain-negative mutants. Furthermore, we constructed two mutants with defects in LPS core oligosaccharide (OS) assembly. Loss of LPS O side chain or CPS resulted in a 30-fold reduction in colonization of the infant mouse small intestine, indicating that the presence of both LPS O side chain and CPS is important during the colonization process. The strain lacking both CPS and LPS O side chain and a CPS-positive, LPS O side chain-negative core OS mutant were both essentially unable to colonize. To characterize the role of surface polysaccharides in survival in the host intestine, resistance to several antimicrobial substances was investigated in vitro. These investigations revealed that the presence of CPS protects the cell against attack of the complement system and that an intact core OS is necessary for survival in the presence of bile.

Editor: J. T. Barbieri

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