The present study was undertaken to see whether the virulence of
Bacteroides fragilis is enhanced by mixed infection with
Escherichia coli.
1. Acceleration of growth of
B. fragilis in mixed culture
B. fragilis GM7004 (10
2CFU/m
l) inoculated alone into nutrient broth did not grow at 37C for 24hrs. When cultured under the same conditions with 10
2CFU/m
l of
E. coli No.94, the bacterial cell population increased to 10
8CFU/m
l or more. This increase was attributed to consumption of the medium-dissolved oxygen by proliferating
E. coli and a decreased oxidation-reduction (O-R) potential.
B. fragilis GM7004 did not grow in the presence of
Pseudomonas aeruginosa E7 and, in this case, O-R potential did not decline though the dissolved oxygen was consumed.
Furthermore, O-R potential of both intraperitoneal fluid and serum declined with time when
E. coli No.94 was used for the mixed infection with
B. fragilis GM7004.
2. Enhancement of virulence of
B. fragilis in mixed infection
When mice were challenged intraperitoneally with a combination of
B. fragilis GM7004 and
E. coli No.94 or
P. aeruginosa E7, both of which have high superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase activities, the virulence of
B. fragilis was markedly enhanced in both experiments.
On the other hand, the mixed infection with
B. fragilis GM7004 and
E. coli JC-2 or
P. aeruginosa IFO3445, both of which have low SOD and catalase activities, did not enhance the virulence under the same conditions.
From the results, it is considered that the pathogenicity of
B. fragilis is enhanced in the mixed infection with other species which have the capacity of declining O-R potential in the infected site and high SOD and catalase activities.
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