Prevalence and pathologic effects of colibactin and cytotoxic necrotizing factor-1 (Cnf 1) in Escherichia coli: experimental and bioinformatics analyses

Table 3 Pathologic effects exerted by the hemolytic test isolates on the kidneys and bladders of female rats

Pathological changes	Test isolates^a
Pathological changes	70β	6β	13β	67
Kidneys
Interstitial blood vessels
Degree of congestion	++++	++	+	+
Inflammatory cells infiltrations
Degree of infiltration	++++	++	+	+
Renal tubular epithelium
Edema/swelling	++++	++	+	+
Vacuolar degeneration	++++	++	+	+
Necrosis	++++	++	+	+
Nuclear pyknosis	++++	+	−	−
Thickening of bowman’s capsule	++++	−	−	−
Renal glomeruli
Congestion of capillaries	++++	++	−	+
Edema of glomerular tuft	++++	++	−	+
Necrosis of glomerular tuft	++++	++	−	+
Hyalinization of the glomerular tuft	++++	++	−	+
Bladder
Lamina propria
Edema	++++	++	−	−
Inflammatory cells infiltration	++++	++	+	+
Transitional epithelium
Hyperplastic changes	++++	++	−	−
Necrosis	++++	++	−	−
Desquamation	++++	−	−	−
Vacuolar degeneration	++++	++	+	+

+, mild; ++, moderate; ++++ , severe
^aCharacteristics of the test isolate: 70β; cnf-1⁺ clb A⁺ clb Q⁺; shows beta-hemolysis on blood agar; crude cell lysate and viable cell cytotoxicity in mammalian cell. 6β; cnf-1⁺ clb A⁺ clb Q⁺; shows beta-hemolysis on blood agar; no cytotoxicity in mammalian cells. 13β; cnf-1⁻ clb A⁻ clb Q⁻; shows beta-hemolysis on blood agar and mammalian cell cytotoxicity of crude cell lysate only. 67; cnf-1⁻ clb A⁻ clb Q⁻; shows neither hemolysis on blood agar nor cytotoxicity in mammalian cells

ISSN: 1757-4749