Inhibition of the adhesion of E. coli on cultured human epithelial cells in the presence of promethazine or imipramine.

The adhesion and multiplication of E. coli strain K12 with a derepressed synthesis of sex pili and of a nephropathogenic E. coli strain isolated from the urine of a patient with pyelonephritis, were demonstrated on the surface of cultured HEp-2 cells. The adhesion of the two E. coli strans was inhibited in the presence of 0.5-5.0 micrograms/ml promethazine or imipramine, but the multiplication of the bacteria on the monolayers was not decreased significantly in the presence of the two drugs. A scanning electronmicroscopic technique was developed to study bacterial adhesion and colony formation on epithelial cells.