Abstract
Capacity to attach to urinary tract epithelium is a virulence factor in E.coli causing UTI (1). The aim of the present study was to correlate ability to attach to human urinary tract epithelium and to agglutinate erythrocytes from various species, thus indirectly clearifying the bacterial surface structures, pili, involved in attachment.
Methods: About 450 E.coli strains isolated from girls with acute pyelonephritis, acute cystitis, asymptomatic bacteriuria and from the stools of healthy children were tested for capacity to attach to human urinary tract epithelial cells (2) and to agglutinate human, guinea pig and horse erythrocytes and yeast cells (3).
Results: Almost 100 per cent correlation was found between adhesive capacity and mannose-resistant agglutination of human erythrocytes. Mannose sensitive agglutination of guinea pig erythrocytes gave no such correlation.
Conclusion: Agglutination of human erythrocytes by E.coli may be a simple risk test for urinary isolates.
References: (1) Svanborg Edén et al. Lancet II:490, 1976, (2) Svanborg Edén et al. Infect.Immun. 18:767, 1977, (3) Korhonen and Svanborg Edén, submitted for publ.
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Hagberg, L., Svanborg, E. AGGLUTINATION OF HUMAN ERYTHROCYTES - A “RISK TEST” FOR ESCHERICHIA COLI CAUSING UTI. Pediatr Res 14, 978 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198008000-00030
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198008000-00030
