Early invasion of uropathogenic<i>Escherichia coli</i>into the bladder wall by solitary bacteria that are protected from antibiotics and neutrophil swarms in an organoid model

Abstract Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) requiring antibiotic therapy. Recurrent infections, which occur in a quarter of treated individuals, may arise from “quiescent intracellular reservoirs” of bacteria that invade deeper layers of the bladder wall following infection and exfoliation of superficial umbrella cells. Here, we present a novel bladder organoid model of UPEC infection that recapitulates the stratified bladder architecture within a small volume suitable for live-cell imaging of host-pathogen dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution. We confirm that bacteria injected into the organoid lumen rapidly enter superficial cells that resemble umbrella cells and proliferate to generate tightly packed colonies that resemble intracellular bacterial communities (IBCs), a hallmark of UPEC pathogenesis. Unexpectedly, at early stages of infection we detect individual “solitary” bacteria that penetrate deeper layers of the organoid wall, where they evade killing by antibiotics and neutrophils. Volumetric serial block face scanning electron microscopy of infected organoids reveals that solitary bacteria can be found throughout the bladder wall and may be intracellular or pericellular (sandwiched between uroepithelial cells). Unlike bacteria within IBCs, which are coccoid-shaped and non-flagellated, solitary bacteria within the bladder wall are rod-shaped and flagellated. We conclude that early invasion of deeper layers of the bladder wall, independent of IBC formation, results in the establishment of reservoirs of solitary bacteria that resist elimination by antibiotics and the host innate immune response.