ADHESION OF 3 LACTOBACILLUS STRAINS TO HUMAN URINARY AND INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL-CELLS

Three strains of urogenital lactobacilli were found to adhere in phosp hate buffered saline to human uroepithelial cells in vitro according t o thermodynamic principles, and to adhere in culture medium to intesti nal cells with no such correlation. The most hydrophilic strain (water contact angle 54-degrees) L. casei RC-17 was the most adherent to uro epithelial (118 bacteria per cell) and intestinal cells (165 bacteria per cell). A direct correlation was found between bacterial hydrophili city and adhesion to uroepithelial cells for the three strains tested. An extracellular adhesin, which appeared to be proteinaceous, and a t rypsin-insensitive cell wall adhesin were identified. It was evident t hat high levels of bacterial retention could be reproduced in vitro, p erhaps indicating the potential colonizing capacity of these strains i n vivo.