ADHERENCE OF VIBRIO-CHOLERAE TO CULTURED DIFFERENTIATED HUMAN INTESTINAL-CELLS - AN IN-VITRO COLONIZATION MODEL

Choleragenic vibrios adhered to and multiplied on monolayers of the hi ghly differentiated mucin-secreting cell line HT29-18N2. Their adheren ce followed first-order kinetics, was dependent on the concentration o f vibrios, and was partially inhibited by lipopolysaccharide. Comparis on of genetically modified vibrios showed that flagella, an active tox R gene, and the virulence cassette were not essential for initial bind ing. Inactivation of the hemagglutinin/protease increased binding. Thi s highly differentiated human intestinal cell line provides a versatil e new approach for studying major events occurring during intestinal c olonization: adherence, multiplication, and detachment.