Virulence of Escherichia coli in ascending urinary-tract infection in mice

The virulence of Escherichia coli strains in ascending urinary-tract infection was studied in mice drinking a 5% glucose solution; factors determining the virulence were examined. Of 33 strains, 8 (group I) infected the bladder and kidney, 10 (group II) infected only the bladder, while the remaining 15 strains (group III) did not cause infection. The adherence of group-I and group-II strains to bladder epithelial cells in vitro was inhibited by D-mannose. In group III, 13 strains barely adhered to the epithelial cells, while two strains showed an adherence unaffected by D-mannose. Most strains in groups I and II agglutinated erythrocytes of guinea-pig, chicken, and horse, and cells of Candida albicans in a mannose-sensitive manner. All strains in groups I and II had fimbriae. Virulence for the urinary tract was not directly related with O-serotype, intraperitoneal virulence, ability to grow in mouse urine, ability to ferment dulcitol, production of haemolysin, susceptibility to serum bactericidal activity, or susceptibility to antibiotics. These results suggest that the adherence of the E. coli to mouse-bladder epithelial cells in a mannose-sensitive manner plays an important role in the development of urinary-tract infection in mice and that the adherence is probably mediated by type-1 or closely related fimbriae.