HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Chong, Y. Articles by Phillips, A. D. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Chong, Y. Articles by Phillips, A. D. Agricola Articles by Chong, Y. Articles by Phillips, A. D.

Human intestinal tissue tropism in Escherichia coli O157 : H7 – initial colonization of terminal ileum and Peyer's patches and minimal colonic adhesion ex vivo

Yuwen Chong^1,

Robert Fitzhenry^1,

¹ Centre for Paediatric Gastroenterology, Royal Free Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK
² Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, Imperial College, London, UK

Correspondence
Alan D. Phillips
a.phillips{at}medsch.ucl.ac.uk

Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) are an important cause of diarrhoeal and renal disease in man. Studies of a single prototypic O157 : H7 strain have shown tropism for follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) of distal ileal Peyer's patches without colonization of either small or large intestine. This study determined tropism in a range of Shiga toxin (Stx)-negative EHEC strains and looked for factors that might induce colonic colonization using human in vitro intestinal organ culture (IVOC). An FAE-restricted colonization was confirmed in two strains; four strains additionally colonized ileal villous surfaces, and adhesion to proximal small intestinal FAE was observed. All strains showed minimal adhesion to non-FAE regions of proximal small intestinal and to the transverse colon. Extensive large-bowel IVOC studies using three O157 : H7 strains, an O26 : H11 and an O103 : H2 strain, and tissue from caecum to rectum found colonization and attaching/effacing lesion formation in only 4 of 113 (3.5 %) IVOCs. Colonic adhesion was not enhanced by altering the IVOC technique or environment. Co-incubation of O157 : H7-infected ileal FAE with colonic samples enhanced colonic colonization, producing a novel, non-intimate adhesive phenotype. Thus, in the initial stages of colonization Stx-negative EHEC preferentially infect FAE and villi of the terminal ileal region ex vivo; colonic colonization is infrequently observed as an initial event but may represent a subsequent stage of infection.

These authors contributed equally to this work.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. Musken, M. Bielaszewska, L. Greune, C. H. Schweppe, J. Muthing, H. Schmidt, M. A. Schmidt, H. Karch, and W. Zhang Anaerobic Conditions Promote Expression of Sfp Fimbriae and Adherence of Sorbitol-Fermenting Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:NM to Human Intestinal Epithelial Cells Appl. Envir. Microbiol., February 15, 2008; 74(4): 1087 - 1093. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]