Uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms
Nguyen Thi Khanh Nhu A B C * , Chitra Ravi A B C and Mark A. Schembri A B C *A Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
B School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
C Australian Infectious Diseases Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Dr Nguyen Thi Khanh Nhu is a postdoctoral researcher in the IMB Centre for Superbug Solutions at The University of Queensland (UQ). She attained her BSc (Biotechnology) and MSc (Microbiology) at the University of Natural Sciences, Vietnam, and then worked as a research assistant at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, where she investigated molecular mechanisms of virulence and antibiotic resistance in a range of enteric pathogens. Dr Nhu completed her PhD on uropathogenic E. coli at UQ and now applies genomic and molecular methods to understand how uropathogenic E. coli cause human infection. |
Chitra Ravi is a PhD student in the School of Chemistry & Molecular Biosciences, and the IMB Centre for Superbug Solutions, at The University of Queensland (UQ). She attained a Diploma (Molecular Biotechnology) at Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore, and her BSc(Hons) (Microbiology) at UQ. Her PhD research investigates the regulation and molecular mechanisms of cellulose biosynthesis in uropathogenic E. coli, and the role of cellulose as a key component of the extracellular matrix in uropathogenic E. coli biofilms. |
Prof. Mark Schembri is the Director of the IMB Centre for Superbug Solutions at The University of Queensland. His expertise lies in molecular microbiology and bacterial pathogenesis, and he investigates how antibiotic resistant uropathogenic E. coli cause urinary tract and bloodstream infections, diseases of major significance to human health. |
Microbiology Australia 44(2) 109-112 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA23030
Submitted: 13 April 2023 Accepted: 8 May 2023 Published: 24 May 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the ASM. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common infectious diseases, with a global annual incidence of ~175 million cases. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the major cause of UTI (>80%) and increasingly associated with rising antibiotic resistance. UPEC form biofilms during infection of the urinary tract, either on the luminal surface of the bladder, intracellularly within bladder superficial epithelial cells, or on the surface of indwelling catheters. This lifestyle of sessile growth promotes enhanced resistance, persistence and increased rates of recurrent UTI. UPEC employ a range of virulence factors to form biofilms, including fimbrial adhesins for attachment and autotransporters to promote cell-to-cell aggregation. In addition, UPEC biofilms are encased in an extracellular matrix comprised of proteins such as curli amyloid fibres and polysaccharides such as cellulose, which together form a hydrating glue that provides structural support for the biofilm and protects its component cells. Here, we describe the key features of UPEC biofilms and their importance for UPEC pathogenesis of the urinary tract.
Keywords: fimbrial adhesins, UPEC biofilms, UPEC pathogenesis, urinary tract infections, uropathogenic Escherichia coli.
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