Signature-tagged mutagenesis and co-infection studies demonstrate the importance of P fimbriae in a murine model of urinary tract infection.

ABSTRACT: Escherichia coli is the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), one of the most common infections in humans. P fimbria was arguably the first proposed virulence factor for uropathogenic E. coli, based on the capacity of E. coli isolated from UTIs to adhere to exfoliated epithelial cells in higher numbers than fecal strains of E. coli. Overwhelming epidemiologic evidence has been presented for involvement of P fimbriae in colonization. It has been difficult, however, to demonstrate this requirement for uropathogenic strains in animal models of infections or in humans. In this study, a signature-tagged mutagenesis screen identified a P-fimbrial gene (papC) and 18 other genes as being among those required for full fitness of cystitis isolate E. coli F11. A P-fimbrial mutant was outc

SUBMITTER: Buckles EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4542639 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature