Cytotoxic Necrotizing Factor Type 1-PositiveEscherichia coliCauses Increased Inflammation and Tissue Damage to the Prostate in a Rat Prostatitis Model

Abstract

Infection of rat prostates with cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1 (CNF1)-positive uropathogenicEscherichia colicaused more inflammation-mediated morphological and histological tissue damage than did infection with isogenic CNF1-negative mutants. These striking differences occurred despite the finding that bacterial counts for the strain pairs were indistinguishable. We conclude that CNF1 contributes toE.colivirulence in a model of acute prostatitis. To our knowledge, the results of this study provide the first demonstration of a role for any uropathogenicE.colivirulence factor in acute prostatitis.