Abstract
The adhesion of 32 Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates to human nasopharyngeal and buccal epithelial cells was investigated. Four strains, showing over 200 bacteria per nasopharyngeal cell were classified as highly adherent. Comparable results were obtained with buccal epithelial cells. The pneumococcal adhesin was shown to be proteinaceous. A novel adhesion assay was developed using epithelial cells immobilized in ELISA plates. This method enabled us to screen large numbers of isolates.
One highly adherent strain, FT231, was used for transposon Tn916 mutagenesis. The adherence of individual mutants was screened using immobilized buccal epithelial cells. The adherence of selected, putatively lowly adherent mutants was investigated by counting the number of bacteria attached to nasopharyngeal and to buccal epithelial cells. We detected 6 mutants that had lost the ability to adhere to human epithelial cells.
The genetic localization of the transposon in these mutants was determined using Southern hybridisation and pulsed field electrophoresis. Sequencing of the gene(s) involved in pneumococcal adhesion is currently in progress.
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Irma, A., Van't, H., Sluyter, M. et al. 338 THE ADHESION OF STREPTOCOCCUS PNEUMONIAE TO HUMAN EPITHELIAL CELLS. Pediatr Res 36, 59 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199407000-00338
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199407000-00338