The role of fimbriae and flagella in the adherence of avian strains of Escherichia coli O78:K80 to tissue culture cells and tracheal and gut explants.

To investigate the role of fimbriae and flagella in the pathogenesis of avian colibacillosis, isogenic insertionally inactivated mutant strains of Escherichia coli O78:K80 strain EC34195 defective in the elaboration of type-1 and curli fimbriae and flagella were constructed by allelic exchange. Single and multiple non-fimbriate and non-flagellate mutant strains were compared to the wild-type in vitro in adherence assays with a HEp-2 cell line, a mucus-secreting cell line HT2916E, a non-mucus-secreting cell line HT2919A, tracheal explant and proximal gut explant. Mutant strains defective in the elaboration of type-1 fimbriae were significantly less adherent--in the order of 90% reduction--than the wild-type strain in all assays. Mutant strains defective in the elaboration of flagella were generally as adherent as the wild-type strain except when assayed with the mucus-secreting cell line HT2916E, for which a significant reduction of adherence--of the order of 90%--compared with the wild-type strain was observed. Mutant strains defective for the elaboration of curli fimbriae adhered as well as the wild-type strain in all assays, except when assayed in tests with gut explant tissue for which a significant reduction of adherence--of the order of 80%--compared with the wild-type strain was observed. Adherence to explants was to epithelial, not serous, surfaces and was 10-fold greater to tracheal than to gut explants. Together, these data support the hypothesis that type-1 fimbriae are significant factors in adherence, aided by flagella for penetration of mucus and curli fimbriae for adherence to the gut.