Variations in 10 putative uropathogen virulence genes among urinary, faecal and peri-urethral Escherichia coli

Abstract

A total of 868 isolates was screened from seven different collections of organisms from previous studies – pyelonephritis in children aged 1–24 months; first, second and recurring urinary tract infection (UTI) in women aged 18–39 years; UTI in women aged 40–65 years and peri-urethral and faecal isolates from women aged 18–39 years – for the presence of 10 potential Escherichia coli UTI virulence genes. Previously reported differences between the frequency of these genes in UTI compared with faecal isolates were confirmed and extended. A single virulence signature (strains containing aer, kpsMT, ompT, fim and papG AD) occurred in 29% of the pyelonephritic isolates, but in no more than 11% of the other collections. Peri-urethral isolates were found to have frequencies of these 10 genes that differed from those found for both UTI and faecal isolates.