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Variations in 10 putative uropathogen virulence genes among urinary, faecal and peri-urethral Escherichia coli
Carl F Marrs, Lixin Zhang, Patricia Tallman
1Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, 109 Observatory Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, *Bureau of Laboratories, Michigan Department of Community Health, 3350 N. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, PO Box 30035, Lansing, MI 48909, †Infectious Disease Unit and ‡Microbiology Laboratory, Ha'Emek Medical Center, 18101 Afula, Israel and †Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel, §Hospital for Children and Adolescents, University of Helsinki and ∥Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens, National Public Health Institute, Mannerheimintie 166, FIN-00300, Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
This study identified a specific virulence gene signature in Escherichia coli strains causing pyelonephritis in children. This signature was significantly more common in kidney infection strains than in urinary tract infection or fecal strains.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Genetics
Background:
- Escherichia coli is a common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs).
- Specific virulence genes in E. coli contribute to the development of UTIs and more severe kidney infections (pyelonephritis).
- Understanding the distribution of these genes across different sample types is crucial for diagnostics and treatment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence of 10 potential E. coli virulence genes in various sample collections.
- To compare the frequency of these genes in isolates from pediatric pyelonephritis, adult UTIs, and commensal/peri-urethral E. coli.
Main Methods:
- Screening of 868 E. coli isolates from seven distinct sample groups.
- Analysis included isolates from pediatric pyelonephritis, women with first, recurrent, and age-specific UTIs, and peri-urethral/fecal samples.
- Detection of 10 specific E. coli virulence genes.
Main Results:
- A distinct virulence gene signature (aer, kpsMT, ompT, fim, papGAD) was identified in 29% of pyelonephritic isolates.
- This signature was found in no more than 11% of other isolate collections, including UTI and fecal samples.
- Peri-urethral isolates showed unique gene frequencies compared to both UTI and fecal isolates.
Conclusions:
- A specific combination of E. coli virulence genes is strongly associated with pyelonephritis in young children.
- The genetic makeup of E. coli varies significantly depending on the infection site and host.
- Findings highlight the importance of virulence gene profiling for understanding E. coli pathogenicity.
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 papGAD) 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.