Adhesiveness to Urinary Tract Epithelial Cells of Fecal and Urinary Escherichia Coli Isolates From Patients With Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infections or Asymptomatic Bacteriuria of Varying Duration

Abstract

Adhesiveness to human urinary tract epithelial cells was high for E. coli strains isolated from patients with acute pyelonephritis and acute cystitis and low for asymptomatic bacteriuria strains detected at screening. E. coli bacteria causing asymptomatic reinfections, detected near the onset of bacteriuria, adhered more than those detected at screening. No difference in the adhesive ability was found between fecal isolates of the strain causing urinary tract infection isolated at or before bacteriuria onset, and the urinary strain in symptomatic or asymptomatic patients. Normal fecal E. coli from non-bacteriuric patients adhered less than all other strains tested.