Abstract
Adherence of S. typhimurium to intestinal epithelial cell surfaces is believed to play a primary role in the pathogenesis of this organism. The major known adherent component of S. typhimurium is the type-1 fimbriae. However, in vitro studies implicating type-1 fimbriae in the attachment of S. typhimurium to cultured non-intestinal cells (HeLa or HEp-2) have been controversial. To resolve this issue, we investigated the binding of 3H-labelled S. typhimurium to freshly isolated rat enterocytes. The results clearly established that fimbriated strains adhered in much higher numbers than non-fimbriated strains. Adherence was inhibited by mannose and alpha-methyl-D-mannoside. Cultivation under conditions that do not permit expression of fimbriae yielded bacteria which adhered in lower numbers than fimbriated bacteria. There was no difference between enterocytes from proximal or distal small intestine. The level of adherent bacteria increased significantly during postnatal development and reached adult levels at weaning time. The results indicate that the adherence of S. typhimurium to enterocytes is facilitated by type-1 fimbriae. There appears to be an age dependent postnatal development of available receptors on rat enterocytes for S. typhimurium.
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