Uropathogenic Serratia marcescens of hospital origin: analysis of the adhesion mechanism of 2 strains
Padilla, C.; Brevis, P.; Padilla, R.
Revista Medica de Chile 117(6): 629-635
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-9887 PMID: 2519411 Document Number: 343732
We isolated 2 Serratia marcescens strains, fim (0) and fim (-), from patients with urinary tract infection. Adhesion properties were studied by hemagglutination, response of uroepithelial cells and electron microscopy techniques. S marcescens fim (+) showed high adherence to uroepithelial cells, hemagglutination capacity and peculiar electron microscopy characteristics. All of these are absent in the fim (-) variety. The fim (+) strain was resistant to nitrofurantoin, nalidixic acid, tetracyclin, ampicillin, gentamycin, cefradine, cephotaxime and cotrimoxazole, whereas the fim (-) strain was sensitive to all. An absence of extrachromosomal DNA was demonstrated in S marcescens fim (+) suggesting that its characteristics are not coded in plasmids.