Bartonella henselae is able to internalize endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which are resistant to the infection of other common pathogens. Bacteroides fragilis is a gram-negative anaerobe belonging to the gut microflora. It protects from experimental colitis induced by Helicobacter hepaticus through the polysaccharide A (PSA). The aim of our study was to establish: 1) whether B. fragilis c...

A rapid multiplex PCR approach was developed to detect the bft gene subtypes in Bacteroides fragilis clinical isolates. This technique could be used to look at the epidemiology of enterotoxigenic strains of B. fragilis in clinical infections and whether there is a correlation between disease and the presence of B. fragilis enterotoxin.

Of 166 Bacteroides fragilis isolates, 26.2% of 103 isolates from blood and 20.6% of 63 extraintestinal isolates harbored the fragilysin gene (difference not statistically significant). Clinical characteristics and evolution were comparable in patients with B. fragilis bacteremia with or without this enterotoxin. Fragilysin seems not to be an important virulence factor in B. fragilis disease.

The role of cell-free soluble factors (lymphokines) derived from mitogen-activated splenic cells of mice previously immunized against Bacteroides fragilis was evaluated in the treatment of B. fragilis intra-abdominal abscess (IAA). Neither clindamycin nor lymphokines alone were effective against an established B. fragilis IAA, but the combination of clindamycin and lymphokines decreased the abs...

We have studied the antimicrobial action of metronidazole against Bacteroides fragilis and Escherichia coli both in pure cultures and in combination. Concentrations of metronidazole above the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) produced a marked bactericidal effect on B fragilis at six hours. E coli however showed only a slight and transitory decrease in population when exposed to concentrat...

Celiac disease (CD) is associated with intestinal dysbiosis, which can theoretically lead to dysfunctions in host-microbe interactions and contribute to the disease. In the present study, possible differences in Bacteroides spp. and their pathogenic features between CD patients and controls were investigated. Bacteroides clones (n = 274) were isolated, identified, and screened for the presence ...

The inhibitory effect of Bacteroides fragilis on the in vitro killing of Escherichia coli by polymorphonuclear leucocytes was studied with two pairs of E coli and B fragilis isolated from human wound infections. Both B fragilis strains behaved similarly: they inhibited the killing of one E coli strain, while the killing of the other E coli strain was not affected. The different behaviour of the...

Objective(s): Human gastrointestinal tract harbors a variety of bacteria with vital roles in human health. Bacteroides fragilis is considered one of the dominant constituents of gut microflora which can act as an opportunistic pathogen leading to various diseases, including colon cancer, diarrhea, uterine and intrathecal abscesses, septicemia, and pelvic inflammation. ...

A genetic approach was used to assess the heterogeneity of the capsular polysaccharide C (PS C) biosynthesis locus of Bacteroides fragilis and to determine whether distinct loci contain genes whose products are likely to be involved in conferring charged groups that enable the B. fragilis capsular polysaccharides to induce abscesses. A collection of 50 B. fragilis strains was examined. PCR anal...

This paper describes a suppressor T cell factor which protects mice against intraabdominal abscesses caused by Bacteroides fragilis. This soluble cell-free factor (ITF) is derived from splenic T cells from mice immunized with capsular polysaccharide (CP) of B. fragilis. Mice receiving ITF are protected from developing abscesses caused by B. fragilis to the same degree as animals receiving intac...