The PapG-Adhesin attheTip ofP-FimbriaeProvides Escherichiacoliwitha CompetitiveEdge inExperimental BladderInfectionsofCynomolgus Monkeys

Summary Abbreviation usedinthispaper:UTI, urinarytractinfection . Human urinarytractinfectionisaninfectious diseasethatdependson aseriesofhost-microbial interactions .The bacteriafirstcolonizethecolonand thentheperiurethral/vaginal areas;they ascendtoandinfectfirst thebladderand thenthekidneys.ExpressionofEscherichiacoliP-fimbriaeconstitutes thestrongest correlation torenalpathogenicity, butisalsorelatedtofirst-time cystitis inchildren .The roleofP-fimbriaeintheprecedingstepsintheinfectious processisunknown .To examinethis,we constructed, fromaP-fimbriated E .colistrain withaclassIIG-adhesinpreferentially bindingtogloboside,one isogenicmutantlackingtheG-adhesinandanother isogenicmutantinwhich we replacedthepapG classIIallele withaclassIIIadhesinpreferentially bindingtotheForssmanantigen.We reportherethecomparisonoftheadhesinknockoutmutant (DS17-8)and theclass-switch mutant (DS17-1)withthewild-type(DS17)forin vivocolonization ofthegut,vagina,andbladderofcynomolgusmonkeys.Itwasrecentlyshown thattheclassIItipG-adhesinisaprerequisite foracutepyelonephritis tooccurinthemonkey model intheabsenceofotherkidney-specific adhesinsorobstruction oftheurinaryflow.Here we show thatitisnot requiredforbladderinfectionbut givesa competitiveadvantagein mixed infections .Inthevaginaand colon,theG-adhesingivesno competitiveadvantage.