Inhibition of the adhesion to catheters of uropathogenic Escherichia coli by sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime

ObjectiveTo investigate the effect of sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime on adherence to siliconised latex urinary catheters of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains from pregnant and non pregnant patients.Study designUsing random sampling, 30 E. coli strains were selected from hospitalized patients with catheter associated urinary tract infection, 12 from pregnant women and 18 from men and non-pregnant women. The strains were categorized on the basis of cefotaxime susceptibility, adhesion and biofilm production capacity, cell surface hydrophobicity and expression of adhesins and fimbriae in vitro.ResultsThe overall results indicated that sub-inhibitory concentrations of cefotaxime could reduce the adhesiveness, the biofilm production and hence, potentially, the infection rate associated with indwelling urinary catheters.ConclusionBased on our results, we propose that this reduction is due to decreasing exopolysaccharide production and increasing cell surface hydrophobicity of E.coli strains.