The Role of P Fimbriae for Colonization and Host Response Induction in the Human Urinary Tract

Abstract

Bacterial attachment is thought to enhance virulence by promoting colonization of the urinary tract and by attacking tissue [1]. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli express several classes of fimbriae-associated adhesins that mediate attachment through specific binding to different glycoconjugate receptors [2] (for review see Mirelman [3]). P fimbriae, encoded by the pap gene cluster, show the most clear-cut association with virulence as defined by acute disease severity [4]