Table 2.
The ability to generate actin pedestals is associated with colonization of the colonic mucosa.
| % positive cecal samples1 | % positive colonic samples | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||
| Strain harboring plasmid | pTirWT | pTirY471F | pTirWT | pTirY471F |
| C. rodentium Δ tir | 53% (9/172) | 12%* (2/17) | 53% (9/17) | 0%* (0/17) |
| C. rodentiumΔtir (Φstx2dact) | 72% (13/18) | 26%*† (5/19) | 72% (13/18) | 0%* (0/19) |
1
Intestinal samples with bacteria adherent to the epithelium were scored positive (see Materials and Methods).
2
Denotes the number of mice with samples positive for mucosally adherent bacteria divided by the total number of mice analyzed.
*
The percentage of positive samples was significantly (p<0.05 by Student’s t-test) less than that found for the isogenic strain producing wild type Tir infecting the corresponding intestinal segment.
†
The percentage of positive cecal samples was significantly (p<0.05 by Student’s t-test) greater than that found for the identical strain infecting the colon.