The initial interaction between bacteria and the renal pelvic epithelium may determine whether intrarenal infection occurs. A model of retrograde pyelonephritis was employed to study these events by electron microscopy. Female rats received an intravesicular inoculation of a 0.5-ml suspension of Proteus mirabilis containing 10(8) organisms. At intervals after inoculation, the kidneys were fixed...

Two structurally different appendages, thin and thick pili, are found in members of the genus Acinetobacter. The presence of pilus structures correlates with different phenotypes, such as adherence to surfaces, a trait not only observed in pathogenic Acinetobacter species, as well as motility. However, their distinct individual roles were unknown. To characterize the role of different pili in t...

The autosomal dominantly inherited hair disorder pili annulati is characterized by alternating light and dark bands of the hair shaft. Concomitant manifestation of pili annulati with alopecia areata has been reported previously on several occasions. However, no systematic evaluation of patients manifesting both diseases has been performed. We studied the simultaneous or sequential occurrence of...

Pili from enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli isolated from humans have been partially purified, and antisera have been prepared. These pili were initially attached to erythrocytes and then removed by thermal elution for purification. Three distinct antigenic types of pili have been identified. Antisera against these three pili types reacted with 60 of 106 (56%) enterotoxigenic E. coli isolated fr...

Although flagella are the best-understood means of locomotion in bacteria [1], other bacterial motility mechanisms must exist as many diverse groups of bacteria move without the aid of flagella [2-4]. One unusual structure that may contribute to motility is the type IV pilus [5,6]. Genetic evidence indicates that type IV pili are required for social gliding motility (S-motility) in Myxococcus, ...

This study was designed to evaluate the role of Escherichia coli type 1 pili in adherence of the organism to porcine small intestines and the efficacy of pili as a vaccine antigen in controlling neonatal colibacillosis. Our results demonstrated that an E. coli phase cloned to express type 1 pili readily attached to the small intestines of colostrum-deprived newborn pigs. Immunofluorescent stain...

The initial pathogenic step in nonobstructive Escherichia coli pyelonephritis usually involves the binding of a bacterial adhesin with host uroepithelial glycoprotein receptors containing the D-Gal pal -4 D-Gal pfi1 (Gal-Gal) moiety. In this study, groups of mice were immunized with Gal-Gal pili and challenged 2 wk later intravesicularly with E. coli strains expressing homologous or heterologou...

We show that Vibrio cholerae, the causative agent of cholera, use their flagella and mannose-sensitive hemagglutinin (MSHA) type IV pili synergistically to switch between two complementary motility states that together facilitate surface selection and attachment. Flagellar rotation counter-rotates the cell body, causing MSHA pili to have periodic mechanical contact with the surface for surface-...

Background & Aims: Vibrio cholerae is a gram-negative bacterial pathogen that causes cholera disease. Following ingestion by a host and entry into the upper intestine, V. cholera colonizes and begins to emit enterotoxin. One of the most pathogenic factors of Vibrio cholera is toxin-coregulated pili (TCP). ToxinCoregulated pili is as the primary factor requiered for the colonization and insisten...