-
EcoSal Plus Feb 2018, a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium most noted for its swarming motility and urease activity, frequently causes catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs)... (Review)
Review
, a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium most noted for its swarming motility and urease activity, frequently causes catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) that are often polymicrobial. These infections may be accompanied by urolithiasis, the development of bladder or kidney stones due to alkalinization of urine from urease-catalyzed urea hydrolysis. Adherence of the bacterium to epithelial and catheter surfaces is mediated by 17 different fimbriae, most notably MR/P fimbriae. Repressors of motility are often encoded by these fimbrial operons. Motility is mediated by flagella encoded on a single contiguous 54-kb chromosomal sequence. On agar plates, undergoes a morphological conversion to a filamentous swarmer cell expressing hundreds of flagella. When swarms from different strains meet, a line of demarcation, a "Dienes line," develops due to the killing action of each strain's type VI secretion system. During infection, histological damage is caused by cytotoxins including hemolysin and a variety of proteases, some autotransported. The pathogenesis of infection, including assessment of individual genes or global screens for virulence or fitness factors has been assessed in murine models of ascending urinary tract infections or CAUTIs using both single-species and polymicrobial models. Global gene expression studies performed in culture and in the murine model have revealed the unique metabolism of this bacterium. Vaccines, using MR/P fimbria and its adhesin, MrpH, have been shown to be efficacious in the murine model. A comprehensive review of factors associated with urinary tract infection is presented, encompassing both historical perspectives and current advances.
Topics: Animals; Bacterial Vaccines; Catheter-Related Infections; Disease Models, Animal; Fimbriae, Bacterial; Host-Pathogen Interactions; Humans; Mice; Proteus Infections; Proteus mirabilis; Urinary Tract Infections; Virulence
PubMed: 29424333
DOI: 10.1128/ecosalplus.ESP-0009-2017 -
Microbial Ecology Nov 2016Proteus spp. bacteria were first described in 1885 by Gustav Hauser, who had revealed their feature of intensive swarming growth. Currently, the genus is divided into... (Review)
Review
Proteus spp. bacteria were first described in 1885 by Gustav Hauser, who had revealed their feature of intensive swarming growth. Currently, the genus is divided into Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Proteus penneri, Proteus hauseri, and three unnamed genomospecies 4, 5, and 6 and consists of 80 O-antigenic serogroups. The bacteria are known to be human opportunistic pathogens, isolated from urine, wounds, and other clinical sources. It is postulated that intestines are a reservoir of these proteolytic organisms. Many wild and domestic animals may be hosts of Proteus spp. bacteria, which are commonly known to play a role of parasites or commensals. However, interesting examples of their symbiotic relationships with higher organisms have also been described. Proteus spp. bacteria present in soil or water habitats are often regarded as indicators of fecal pollution, posing a threat of poisoning when the contaminated water or seafood is consumed. The health risk may also be connected with drug-resistant strains sourcing from intestines. Positive aspects of the bacteria presence in water and soil are connected with exceptional features displayed by autochthonic Proteus spp. strains detected in these environments. These rods acquire various metabolic abilities allowing their adaptation to different environmental conditions, such as high concentrations of heavy metals or toxic substances, which may be exploited as sources of energy and nutrition by the bacteria. The Proteus spp. abilities to tolerate or utilize polluting compounds as well as promote plant growth provide a possibility of employing these microorganisms in bioremediation and environmental protection.
Topics: Animals; Environment; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Houseflies; Humans; Insect Vectors; Proteus; Proteus Infections; Soil Microbiology; Virulence Factors; Water Microbiology; Water Pollution
PubMed: 26748500
DOI: 10.1007/s00248-015-0720-6 -
Clinical Microbiology Reviews Jul 2018species, members of the family, are usually considered commensals in the gut and are most commonly recognized clinically as a cause of urinary tract infections.... (Review)
Review
species, members of the family, are usually considered commensals in the gut and are most commonly recognized clinically as a cause of urinary tract infections. However, the recent identification of spp. as potential pathogens in Crohn's disease recurrence after intestinal resection serves as a stimulus to examine their potential role as gut pathogens. species possess many virulence factors potentially relevant to gastrointestinal pathogenicity, including motility; adherence; the production of urease, hemolysins, and IgA proteases; and the ability to acquire antibiotic resistance. Gastrointestinal conditions that have been linked to include gastroenteritis (spontaneous and foodborne), nosocomial infections, appendicitis, colonization of devices such as nasogastric tubes, and Crohn's disease. The association of species with Crohn's disease was particularly strong. species are low-abundance commensals of the human gut that harbor significant pathogenic potential; further investigation is needed.
Topics: Crohn Disease; Gastrointestinal Diseases; Humans; Proteus; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 29899011
DOI: 10.1128/CMR.00085-17 -
Chemical Reviews Jan 2011
Review
Topics: Aggression; Bacterial Proteins; Models, Biological; Proteus; Territoriality
PubMed: 21162556
DOI: 10.1021/cr100051v -
Polish Journal of Microbiology Sep 2020species are common opportunistic bacteria and foodborne pathogens. The proper detection of can effectively reduce the occurrence of food-borne public health events....
species are common opportunistic bacteria and foodborne pathogens. The proper detection of can effectively reduce the occurrence of food-borne public health events. and are the two most important pathogens in the genus. In this study, a dual TaqMan Real-Time PCR method was established to simultaneously detect and distinguish and in samples. The method exhibited good specificity, stability, and sensitivity. Specifically, the minimum detection concentrations of and in pure bacterial cultures were 6.08 × 10 colony forming units (CFU)/ml and 4.46 × 10 CFU/ml, respectively. Additionally, the minimum detectable number of and in meat and milk was 10 CFU/g. In addition, the method can be used to distinguish between strains of and within two hours. Overall, it is a sensitive, easy-to-use, and practical test for the identification and classification of in food.
Topics: Animals; DNA, Bacterial; Food Microbiology; Foodborne Diseases; Genes, Bacterial; Limit of Detection; Milk; Pork Meat; Proteus mirabilis; Proteus vulgaris; Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; Reproducibility of Results
PubMed: 33574858
DOI: 10.33073/pjm-2020-032 -
Microbiology and Molecular Biology... Mar 1997The object of this review is the genus Proteus, which contains bacteria considered now to belong to the opportunistic pathogens. Widely distributed in nature (in soil,... (Review)
Review
The object of this review is the genus Proteus, which contains bacteria considered now to belong to the opportunistic pathogens. Widely distributed in nature (in soil, water, and sewage), Proteus species play a significant ecological role. When present in the niches of higher macroorganisms, these species are able to evoke pathological events in different regions of the human body. The invaders (Proteus mirabilis, P. vulgaris, and P. penneri) have numerous factors including fimbriae, flagella, outer membrane proteins, lipopolysaccharide, capsule antigen, urease, immunoglobulin A proteases, hemolysins, amino acid deaminases, and, finally, the most characteristic attribute of Proteus, swarming growth, enabling them to colonize and survive in higher organisms. All these features and factors are described and commented on in detail. The questions important for future investigation of these facultatively pathogenic microorganisms are also discussed.
Topics: Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; Bacterial Proteins; Carbohydrate Sequence; Disease Susceptibility; Drug Resistance, Microbial; Fimbriae, Bacterial; Flagella; Hemolysin Proteins; Humans; Hydro-Lyases; Lipid A; Lipopolysaccharides; Metalloendopeptidases; Molecular Sequence Data; Polymyxins; Proteus; Proteus Infections; Proteus mirabilis; Proteus vulgaris; Serine Endopeptidases; Urease
PubMed: 9106365
DOI: 10.1128/mmbr.61.1.65-89.1997 -
Virus Research Mar 2023The crystalline formation of biofilms by Proteus blocks the urine flow which often complicates the health care of catheterized patients. Bacteriophages has been...
The crystalline formation of biofilms by Proteus blocks the urine flow which often complicates the health care of catheterized patients. Bacteriophages has been highlighted as a promising tool to control biofilm-mediated bacterial infections. Here, we isolated and characterized two newly isolated lytic phages capable of infecting clinical isolates of P. mirabilis and P. vulgaris. Moreover, insights regarding the biological and molecular characterization were analysed. Both RP6 and RP7 phages showed a Proteus-genus-specific profile, administering no lytic activity against other family of Enterobacteriaceae. The optimal MOI value of the RP6 and RP7 phages were determined as 0.1 and 0.01, respectively. The one-step growth curve showed that RP6 and RP7 phages have a short latent period of 20 min and large burst size of 220-371 PFU/ML per infected host cell. Bacteria growth was reduced immediately after the phages were added, which is shown by the optical density (OD) measurement after 24 hr. Proteus phage RP6 and RP7 were found to eradicate both the planktonic and mature biofilms produced by the Proteus isolates tested. Genome sequence of Proteus phage RP6 was found to be 58,619 bp, and a G-C content of 47%. Also, Proteus phage RP7 genome size was 103,593 bp with G-C ratio of 38.45%. A total of 70 and 172 open reading frame (ORF) was encoded in RP6 and RP7 phage genomes, respectively. Interestingly, there were no tRNA encoded by Proteus phage RP6 genome even though there is a significant G-C content difference between the phage and its host. Additionally, the exhibition of highly lytic activity and absence of virulence and antibiotic-resistant genes in both Proteus RP6 and RP7 phages emphasized that this newly isolated phages are promising for potential therapeutic phages.
Topics: Humans; Bacteriophages; Sewage; Proteus; Proteus mirabilis; Genome, Viral; Biofilms; Hospitals
PubMed: 36717023
DOI: 10.1016/j.virusres.2023.199049 -
Advances in Clinical and Experimental... 2013Proteus sp. strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) are often insensitive to the bactericidal action of normal human serum (NHS) which poses a...
BACKGROUND
Proteus sp. strains isolated from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) are often insensitive to the bactericidal action of normal human serum (NHS) which poses a clinical problem. The swarming phenomenon is an especially important factor in cases of UTIs gained through the ascending route. Both these virulence factors are connected with the cell surface components of bacteria, including lipopolysaccharide (LPS).
OBJECTIVES
The resistance of Proteus bacilli to the bactericidal activity of NHS and the swarming phenomenon were investigated as well as the possible relationships between these virulence factors and the chemical structure of LPS.
MATERIAL AND METHODS
The research was carried out on P. penneri and P. vulgaris species. Two preparations of sera were tested with respect to the bactericidal action of NHS. The ability of bacteria to swarm was checked on broth agar plates. The length of the O-specific part of LPS was estimated after poliacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and staining with silver nitrate.
RESULTS
Among the 62 tested Proteus strains, over 62% of Proteus vulgaris and 50% of Proteus penneri strains were sensitive to the bactericidal action of NHS. However, the number of resistant strains grew dramatically when serum with blocked complement activation via the alternative pathway was used. From 102 of the Proteus sp. Strains, only few were unable to swarm over the solid surface of the media. The remaining showed diverse ability to translocate.
CONCLUSIONS
There was no definite correlation between the chemical structure of the O-specific chains of lipopolysaccharides and sensitivity or resistance of the Proteus sp. strains to NHS. Also, no significant relationships were found between the length or the chemical structure of the O-specific chains of the bacterial LPSs and the swarming phenomenon.
Topics: Blood Bactericidal Activity; Humans; Lipopolysaccharides; Locomotion; Proteus Infections; Proteus penneri; Proteus vulgaris; Serum Bactericidal Test; Urinary Tract Infections; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 23709372
DOI: No ID Found -
Nature Reviews. Microbiology Nov 2012Proteus mirabilis, named for the Greek god who changed shape to avoid capture, has fascinated microbiologists for more than a century with its unique swarming... (Review)
Review
Proteus mirabilis, named for the Greek god who changed shape to avoid capture, has fascinated microbiologists for more than a century with its unique swarming differentiation, Dienes line formation and potent urease activity. Transcriptome profiling during both host infection and swarming motility, coupled with the availability of the complete genome sequence for P. mirabilis, has revealed the occurrence of interbacterial competition and killing through a type VI secretion system, and the reciprocal regulation of adhesion and motility, as well as the intimate connections between metabolism, swarming and virulence. This Review addresses some of the unique and recently described aspects of P. mirabilis biology and pathogenesis, and emphasizes the potential role of this bacterium in single-species and polymicrobial urinary tract infections.
Topics: Bacterial Adhesion; Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Secretion Systems; Catheter-Related Infections; Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Humans; Immune Evasion; Proteus Infections; Proteus mirabilis; Urinary Tract Infections; Virulence Factors
PubMed: 23042564
DOI: 10.1038/nrmicro2890 -
BMC Microbiology Jun 2020Members of the genus Proteus are mostly opportunistic pathogens that cause a variety of infections in humans. The molecular evolutionary characteristics and genetic...
Multilocus sequence analysis for the taxonomic updating and identification of the genus Proteus and reclassification of Proteus genospecies 5 O'Hara et al. 2000, Proteus cibarius Hyun et al. 2016 as later heterotypic synonyms of Proteus terrae Behrendt et al. 2015.
BACKGROUND
Members of the genus Proteus are mostly opportunistic pathogens that cause a variety of infections in humans. The molecular evolutionary characteristics and genetic relationships among Proteus species have not been elucidated to date. In this study, we developed a multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) approach based on five housekeeping genes (HKGs) to delineate phylogenetic relationships of species within the genus Proteus.
RESULTS
Of all 223 Proteus strains collected in the current study, the phylogenetic tree of five concatenated HKGs (dnaJ, mdh, pyrC, recA and rpoD) divided 223 strains into eleven clusters, which were representative of 11 species of Proteus. Meanwhile, the phylogenetic trees of the five individual HKGs also corresponded to that of the concatenated tree, except for recA, which clustered four strains at an independent cluster. The evaluation of inter- and intraspecies distances of HKG concatenation indicated that all interspecies distances were significantly different from intraspecies distances, which revealed that these HKG concatenations can be used as gene markers to distinguish different Proteus species. Further web-based DNA-DNA hybridization estimated by genome of type strains confirmed the validity of the MLSA, and each of eleven clusters was congruent with the most abundant Proteus species. In addition, we used the established MLSA method to identify the randomly collected Proteus and found that P. mirabilis is the most abundant species. However, the second most abundant species is P. terrae but not P. vulgaris. Combined with the genetic, genomic and phenotypic characteristics, these findings indicate that three species, P. terrae, P. cibarius and Proteus genospecies 5, should be regarded as heterotypic synonyms, and the species should be renamed P. terrae, while Proteus genospecies 5 has not been named to date.
CONCLUSIONS
This study suggested that MLSA is a powerful method for the discrimination and classification of Proteus at the species level. The MLSA scheme provides a rapid and inexpensive means of identifying Proteus strains. The identification of Proteus species determined by the MLSA approach plays an important role in the clinical diagnosis and treatment of Proteus infection.
Topics: Bacterial Proteins; Bacterial Typing Techniques; Cross Infection; Genes, Essential; Humans; Multilocus Sequence Typing; Phylogeny; Proteus
PubMed: 32522175
DOI: 10.1186/s12866-020-01844-1