Observation of bacterial type I pili extension and contraction under fluid flow.

Type I pili are proteinaceous tethers that mediate bacterial adhesion of uropathogenic Escherichia coli to surfaces and are thought to help bacteria resist drag forces imparted by fluid flow via uncoiling of their quaternary structure. Uncoiling and recoiling have been observed in force spectroscopy experiments, but it is not clear if and how this process occurs under fluid flow. Here we developed an assay to study the mechanical properties of pili in a parallel plate flow chamber. We show that pili extend when attached E. coli bacteria are exposed to increasing shear stresses, that pili can help bacteria move against moderate fluid flows, and characterize two dynamic regimes of this displacement. The first regime is consistent with entropic contraction as modeled by a freely jointed chain, and the second with coiling of the quaternary structure of pili. These results confirm that coiling and uncoiling happen under flow but the observed dynamics are different from those reported previously. Using these results and those from previous studies, we review the mechanical properties of pili in the context of other elastic proteins such as the byssal threads of mussels. It has been proposed that the high extensibility of pili may help recruit more pili into tension and lower the force acting on each one by damping changes in force due to fluid flow. Our analysis of the mechanical properties suggests additional functions of pili; in particular, their extensibility may reduce tension by aligning pili with the direction of flow, and the uncoiled state of pili may complement uncoiling in regulating the force of the terminal adhesin.

Inhibition of the adhesion to catheters of uropathogenic Escherichia coli by sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime on adherence to siliconized latex urinary catheters of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains from pregnant and non pregnant patients. STUDY DESIGN: Using random sampling, 30 E. coli strains were selected from hospitalized patients with catheter associated urinary tract infection, 12 from pregnant women and 18 from men and non-pregnant women. The strains were categorized on the basis of cefotaxime susceptibility, adhesion and biofilm production capacity, cell surface hydrophobicity and expression of adhesins and fimbriae in vitro. RESULTS: The overall results indicated that sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime could reduce the adhesiveness, the biofilm production and hence, potentially, the infection rate associated with indwelling urinary catheters. CONCLUSION: Based on our results, we propose that this reduction is due to decreasing exopolysaccharide production and increasing cell surface hydrophobicity of E.coli strains.