ISSN:
1574-695X
Source:
Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
Notes:
Proteus mirabilis, a common cause of urinary tract infection, produces a number of different fimbriae, including ambient temperature fimbriae (ATF). These fimbriae are optimally expressed at 23°C and their contribution to urinary tract infection has so far remained unknown. In the present study, a clinical isolate of P. mirabilis and an isogenic allelic replacement mutant unable to express ATF were tested for their ability to cause infection in the ascending urinary tract infection model in mice. The atf mutant colonised the urinary tract as well as the wild-type strain and was also able to outcompete the wild-type strain in a co-challenge experiment. Different non-clinical P. mirabilis isolates showed a reactive AtfA band after Western blot analysis using a polyclonal rabbit AtfA antiserum. These data together suggest that ATF does not play a role in P. mirabilis urinary tract infection.
Type of Medium:
Electronic Resource
URL:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1574-695X.2000.tb01516.x
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