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. 1995 May;63(5):2070–2074. doi: 10.1128/iai.63.5.2070-2074.1995

Investigation of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7 adherence characteristics and invasion potential reveals a new attachment pattern shared by intestinal E. coli.

M L McKee 1, A D O'Brien 1
PMCID: PMC173266  PMID: 7537254

Abstract

In this study, the interactions of enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) O157 strains with human ileocecal (HCT-8) epithelial cells and HEp-2 cells were examined. EHEC adhered to, but did not invade, HCT-8 cells by the localized adherence mechanism and a heretofore unrecognized pattern which we called log jam. The log jam formation was (i) not observed on HEp-2 cells, (ii) independent of the EHEC eaeA gene required for localized adherence, and (iii) shared by pathogenic and nonpathogenic E. coli strains but not K-12 strains. The log jam phenotype may represent a basal means by which E. coli bacteria attach to the human intestine.

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Selected References

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