Shankar N, Lockatell C V, Baghdayan A S, Drachenberg C, Gilmore M S, Johnson D E
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73190, USA.
Infect Immun. 2001 Jul;69(7):4366-72. doi: 10.1128/IAI.69.7.4366-4372.2001.
Enterococcus faecalis bacteria isolated from patients with bacteremia, endocarditis, and urinary tract infections more frequently express the surface protein Esp than do fecal isolates. To assess the role of Esp in colonization and persistence of E. faecalis in an animal model of ascending urinary tract infection, we compared an Esp(+) strain of E. faecalis to its isogenic Esp-deficient mutant. Groups of CBA/J mice were challenged transurethrally with 10(8) CFU of either the parent or mutant strain, and bacteria in the urine, bladder, and kidneys were enumerated 5 days postinfection. Significantly higher numbers of bacteria were recovered from the bladder and urine of mice challenged with the parent strain than from the bladder and urine of mice challenged with the mutant. Colonization of the kidney, however, was not significantly different between the parent and mutant strains. Histopathological evaluations of kidney and bladder tissue done at 5 days postinfection did not show marked histopathological changes consistent with inflammation, mucosal hyperplasia, or apoptosis, and there was no observable difference between the mice challenged with the parent and those challenged with the mutant. We conclude that, while Esp does not influence histopathological changes associated with acute urinary tract infections, it contributes to colonization and persistence of E. faecalis at this site.
从菌血症、心内膜炎和尿路感染患者中分离出的粪肠球菌比粪便分离株更频繁地表达表面蛋白Esp。为了评估Esp在上行性尿路感染动物模型中粪肠球菌定植和持续存在中的作用，我们将一株Esp(+)粪肠球菌与其同基因的Esp缺陷突变体进行了比较。将CBA/J小鼠组经尿道用10(8)CFU的亲本菌株或突变菌株进行攻击，感染后5天对尿液、膀胱和肾脏中的细菌进行计数。与用突变菌株攻击的小鼠的膀胱和尿液相比，用亲本菌株攻击的小鼠的膀胱和尿液中回收的细菌数量明显更多。然而，亲本菌株和突变菌株在肾脏中的定植没有显著差异。感染后5天对肾脏和膀胱组织进行的组织病理学评估未显示与炎症、粘膜增生或凋亡一致的明显组织病理学变化，并且用亲本菌株攻击的小鼠与用突变菌株攻击的小鼠之间没有观察到差异。我们得出结论，虽然Esp不影响与急性尿路感染相关的组织病理学变化，但它有助于粪肠球菌在该部位的定植和持续存在。
