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1 June 2007

Volume 195, Number 11
The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2007;195:1671–1677
© 2007 by the Infectious Diseases Society of America. All rights reserved.
0022-1899/2007/19511-0016$15.00
DOI: 10.1086/517524
MAJOR ARTICLE

Importance of the ebp (Endocarditis‐ and Biofilm‐Associated Pilus) Locus in the Pathogenesis of Enterococcus faecalis Ascending Urinary Tract Infection

Kavindra V. Singh,1,2

Sreedhar R. Nallapareddy,1,2 and

Barbara E. Murray1,2,3

1Center for the Study of Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens, Division of Infectious Diseases, and Departments of 2Internal Medicine and 3Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, Houston

Background.We recently demonstrated that the ubiquitous Enterococcus faecalis ebp (endocarditis‐ and biofilm‐associated pilus) operon is important for biofilm formation and experimental endocarditis. Here, we assess its role in murine urinary tract infection (UTI) by use of wild‐type E. faecalis OG1RF and its nonpiliated, ebpA allelic replacement mutant (TX5475).

Methods.OG1RF and TX5475 were administered transurethrally either at an 1:1 ratio (competition assay) or individually (monoinfection). Kidney pairs and urinary bladders were cultured 48 h after infection. These strains were also tested in a peritonitis model.

Results.No differences were observed in the peritonitis model. In mixed UTIs, OG1RF significantly outnumbered TX5475 in kidneys ( ) and bladders ( ). More OG1RF colony‐forming units were also recovered from the kidneys of monoinfected mice at the 4 inocula tested ( to ), and 50% infective doses of OG1RF for kidneys and bladder ( and cfu, respectively) were 2–3 log10 lower than those of TX5475. Increased tropism for the kidney relative to the bladder was observed for both OG1RF and TX5475.

Conclusion.The ebp locus, part of the core genome of E. faecalis, contributes to infection in an ascending UTI model and is the first such enterococcal locus shown to be important in this site.

Received 6 November 2006; accepted 2 January 2007; electronically published 26 April 2007.

Reprints or correspondence: Dr. Barbara E. Murray, Div. of Infectious Diseases, Center for the Study of Emerging and Reemerging Pathogens, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, 6431 Fannin, 2.112 MSB, Houston, TX 77030 ().

Cited by

Kavindra V. Singh, Roshan J. Lewis, and Barbara E. Murray. (2009) Importance of the epa Locus of Enterococcus faecalis OG1RF in a Mouse Model of Ascending Urinary Tract Infection. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 200:3, 417-420
Online publication date: 1-Aug-2009.
Abstract-Full Text-PDF Version (268 kB)
J. Sillanpaa, S. R. Nallapareddy, J. Houston, V. K. Ganesh, A. Bourgogne, K. V. Singh, B. E. Murray, M. Hook. (2009) A family of fibrinogen-binding MSCRAMMs from Enterococcus faecalis. Microbiology 155:7, 2390-2400
Online publication date: 1-Aug-2009.
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K. Fisher, C. Phillips. (2009) The ecology, epidemiology and virulence of Enterococcus. Microbiology 155:6, 1749-1757
Online publication date: 1-Jul-2009.
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Christian Theilacker, Patricia Sanchez-Carballo, Ioana Toma, Francesca Fabretti, Irina Sava, Andrea Kropec, Otto Holst, Johannes Huebner. (2009) Glycolipids are involved in biofilm accumulation and prolonged bacteraemia in Enterococcus faecalis. Molecular Microbiology 71:4, 1055-1069
Online publication date: 1-Mar-2009.
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J. Sillanpaa, S. R. Nallapareddy, V. P. Prakash, X. Qin, M. Hook, G. M. Weinstock, B. E. Murray. (2008) Identification and phenotypic characterization of a second collagen adhesin, Scm, and genome-based identification and analysis of 13 other predicted MSCRAMMs, including four distinct pilus loci, in Enterococcus faecium. Microbiology 154:10, 3199-3211
Online publication date: 1-Nov-2008.
CrossRef

  • Potential conflicts of interest: none reported.

    Financial support: Division of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health (grant R37 AI47923 to B.E.M.).

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