Effect of piliation on Klebsiella pneumoniae infection in rat bladders

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The possible role of pili in the pathogenesis of urinary tract infection caused by K. pneumoniae was investigated in a rat model of cystitis by using piliated- and nonpiliated-phase organisms derived from parent strain. Bladder surfaces were examined for evidence of infection by scanning electron microscopy. In animals infected with piliated-phase organisms, foci of infection were evident in the majority of bladders examined. Rat bladders associated with nonpiliated-phase bacteria showed little evidence of infection. The ability of .alpha.-methyl-D-mannoside, a known inhibitor of pilus-mediated adherence to mammalian cells, to protect the bladder surface from colonization was tested. It caused a significant decrease in the ability of piliated-phase K. pneumoniae to establish infection in bladders. Pili may play an intergral role in the ability of K. pneumoniae to cause urinary tract infections by mediating the attachment of the bacteria to the uroepithelial surface.