@article{mbs:/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-26-1-19, author = "Carrello, A. and Silburn, Katherine A. and Budden, Julia R. and Chang, Barbara J.", title = "Adhesion of clinical and environmental Aeromonas isolates to HEp-2 cells", journal= "Journal of Medical Microbiology", year = "1988", volume = "26", number = "1", pages = "19-27", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/00222615-26-1-19", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jmm/10.1099/00222615-26-1-19", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1473-5644", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "SUMMARY A total of 63 Aeromonas strains isolated from diarrhoeal faeces or water samples were tested for adhesion to HEp-2 cells. An association between diarrhoea and high level adhesion was observed in that 12 of the 34 faecal isolates and none of the 29 environmental isolates yielded > 20 bacteria per HEp-2 cell in the adhesion assay. The proportion of high adherers was significantly greater for A. sobria (57%) than for A. hydrophila isolates (19%). Three of the eight faecal A. caviae isolates were also found to be high adherers. All of the environmental isolates were heavily pilated with pili having a mean diameter of 5 nm and a mean length of 420 nm; these were termed type-S pili. Of the 34 faecal isolates, 32% possessed S pili, and 68% were lightly pilated with up to 15 thin, flexible type-L pili, of mean diameter 2.5 nm and mean length 960 nm. Type-L pilation was associated with a high level of HEp-2 cell adhesion, and was more common in A. sobria and A. caviae than in A. hydrophila isolates. These results suggest that adherence to HEp-2 cells is a useful model for the investigation of Aeromonas enteropathogenicity, and that adhesion may be pilusmediated in this organism.", }