Biofilm formation by asymptomatic and virulent urinary tract infectious Escherichia coli strains
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Updated: Jul 18, 2026

Bile Salt-induced Biofilm Formation in Enteric Pathogens: Techniques for Identification and Quantification
Published on: May 6, 2018
Viktoria Hancock1, Lionel Ferrières, Per Klemm
1Microbial Adhesion Group, Center for Biomedical Microbiology, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
Abstract:
Escherichia coli is the most common organism associated with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU) in humans. In contrast to uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) that cause symptomatic urinary tract infection, very little is known about the mechanisms by which these strains colonize the urinary tract. Here, we have investigated the biofilm-forming capacity on abiotic surfaces of groups of ABU strains and UPEC strains in human urine. We found that there is a strong bias; ABU strains were significantly better biofilm formers than UPEC strains. Our data suggest that biofilm formation in urinary tract infectious E. coli seems to be associated with ABU strains and appears to be an important strategy used by these strains for persistence in this high-flow environment.
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