Adherence of Type 1-Fimbriated Escherichia coli to Uroepithelial Cells
More in diabetic women than in control subjects
- Suzanne E. Geerlings, MD, PHD1,
- Ruby Meiland, MD2,
- Emiel C. van Lith, MD2,
- Ellen C. Brouwer3,
- Wim Gaastra, PHD4 and
- Andy I.M. Hoepelman, MD, PHD23
- 1Department of Internal Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- 2Department of Acute Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- 3Eijkman-Winkler Laboratory for Medical Microbiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands
- 4Department of Bacteriology, Institute of Infectious Diseases and Immunology, Veterinary Faculty, Utrecht University, Utrecht, the Netherlands
Abstract
OBJECTIVE—Women with diabetes have bacteriuria more often than women without diabetes. Because Escherichia coli adhere better to vaginal cells of nondiabetic patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) than to those obtained from healthy control subjects, it was hypothesized that E. coli adhere more to the uroepithelial cells of diabetic women, either because of substances excreted in the urine (e.g., albumin, glucose, and Tamm Horsfall protein) or because of a difference in the uroepithelial cells.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—A T24 bladder cell line and uroepithelial cells of 25 diabetic women and 19 control subjects were incubated with three different E. coli strains.
RESULTS—The mean numbers of type 1-fimbriated E. coli that adhered to diabetic and control cells were 12.9 and 6.1 (P = 0.001), respectively, whereas those of P-fimbriated E. coli were 8.8 and 8.1 (P = 0.8), and those of nonfimbriated E. coli were 2.7 and 3.4 (P = 0.4). The addition of various substances did not influence the adherence of E. coli to a T24 bladder cell line.
CONCLUSIONS—Type 1-fimbriated E. coli adhere more to diabetic than to control uroepithelial cells.
- DMEM, Dulbecco’s modified Eagle’s medium
- IMDM, Isocove’s modified Dulbecco’s medium
- MSHA, mannose-sensitive hemagglutination
- MRHA, mannose-resistant hemagglutination
- THP, Tamm Horsfall protein
- UTI, urinary tract infection
Footnotes
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Prof. Dr. I.M. Hoepelman, University Medical Center Utrecht, Department of Acute Medicine and Infectious Diseases, University Medical Center Utrecht, P.O. Box 85500, F 02.126, 3508 GA Utrecht, the Netherlands. E-mail: i.m.hoepelman{at}digd.azu.nl.
Received for publication 27 November 2001 and accepted in revised form 18 April 2002.
A table elsewhere in this issue shows conventional and Système International (SI) units and conversion factors for many substances.
- DIABETES CARE
