Vibrio cholerae intestinal population dynamics in the suckling mouse modelof infection

Citation
Mj. Angelichio et al., Vibrio cholerae intestinal population dynamics in the suckling mouse modelof infection, INFEC IMMUN, 67(8), 1999, pp. 3733-3739
Citations number
35
Categorie Soggetti
Immunology
Journal title
INFECTION AND IMMUNITY
ISSN journal
00199567 → ACNP
Volume
67
Issue
8
Year of publication
1999
Pages
3733 - 3739
Database
ISI
SICI code
0019-9567(199908)67:8<3733:VCIPDI>2.0.ZU;2-8
Abstract
The suckling mouse has been used as a model to identify Vibrio cholerae int estinal colonization factors for over two decades, yet little is known abou t the location of recoverable organisms along the gastrointestinal (GI) tra ct following intragastric inoculation. In the present study, we determined the population dynamics of wild-type and avirulent mutant derivatives of bo th classical and Fl Tor biotype strains throughout the entire suckling mous e GI tract at various times after intragastric inoculation. Wild-type strai ns preferentially colonized the middle small bowel with a sharp demarcation between more proximal segments which had manyfold-fewer recoverable cells. Surprisingly, large and stable populations of viable cells were also recov ered from the cecum and large bowel. Strains lacking toxin-coregulated pill (TCP-) were cleared from the small bowel; however, an El Tor TCP- strain c olonized the cecum and large bowel almost as well as the wild-type strain. Strains lacking lipopolysaccharide O antigen (OA(-)) were efficiently clear ed from the small bowel at early times but then showed net growth for the r emainder of the infections. Moreover, large populations of the OA(-) strain s were maintained in the large bowel. These results show that for the El To r biotype neither TCP nor OA is required for colonization of the suckling m ouse large bowel. Finally, similar percent recoveries of wild-type, TCP-, a nd OA(-) strains from the small bowel at an early time after infection sugg est that TCP and OA are not required for strains of either biotype to resis t bactericidal mechanisms in the suckling mouse GI tract.