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The surface properties of Escherichia coli strains isolated from urine of women with symptoms of the urinary tract infections and their sensitivity to the antagonistic activity of various Lactobacillus species
Article published in Urologia Polska 2005/58/4.

authors

Magdalena Strus 1, Monika Brzychczy-Włoch 1, Agnieszka Chmielarczyk 1, Tomasz Gosiewski 1, Grażyna Kukla 1, Danuta Rurańska-Smutnicka 2, Anna Przondo-Mordarska 2, Piotr B. Heczko 1
1 Katedra Mikrobiologii Collegium Medicum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego
Kierownik katedry: prof. dr hab. Piotr B. Heczko
2 Katedra i Zakład Mikrobiologii Akademii Medycznej we Wrocławiu
Kierownik katedry i zakładu: prof. dr hab. Anna Przondo-Mordarska

keywords

urinary tract, urinary tract infections in women, surface virulence factors of E. coli, vaginal Lactobacillus

summary

the aim of the study
The aims of this work were to compare the virulence factors of E. coli strains isolated from urine of women with symptoms of urinary tract infections with E. coli strains originated from vaginal swabs taken from women with manifestations of aerobic vaginitis. Moreover, sensitivity of all E. coli strains to the antagonistic activity of various Lactobacillus species isolated from vaginal milieu was explored.
material and methods
Escherichia coli strains were isolated from urine from 25 women with significant bacteriuria and from vagina of 20 women with aerobic vaginitis (Nugent's score ł 4.0). The expression of adherence fimbriae in the strains was determined by using hemaglutination test. Moreover, presence of genes encoding adhesion peptides was detected by multiplex-PCR technique. Adherence properties of E. coli to urinary and vaginal cell lines were investigated in vitro using adherence assay. Also, sensitivity of all E. coli strains to the antagonistic activity of various Lactobacillus species was tested by a slab method.
results
A high differentiation among tested E.coli strains was showed in relation to their surface membrane proteins which enabled them to adhere both to vaginal and/or urinary epithelium. The tested E.coli strains were mostly sensitive to inhibitory activity of Lactobacillus plantarum, L.fermentum and L.rhamnosus strains.
conclusions
E.coli strains isolated from both urinary and vaginal infections differ strongly in a presence of adhesion molecules which mediate colonization of urinary and/or vaginal epithelium. The strains are susceptible to activity of the vaginal Lactobacillus strains which make possible to select probiotic strains for a prophylactic usage.

references

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correspondence

Magdalena Strus
ul. Wyżynna 20C
30-617 Kraków
tel. 0 601 290 767
fax (0 12) 423 39 24
mbstrus@cyf-kr.edu.pl