Virulence traits and pathogenicity of uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates with common and uncommon O serotypes

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common human diseases worldwide. This study aimed to collect uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) isolates from Jiangsu Province and obtain insights into the molecular epidemiology of UPEC in this region. The O serotypes, phylogenetic groups, and virulence factors of 183 UPEC isolates were determined. In this study, we isolated 51 UPEC isolates with common O serotypes including O1, O2, O4, O6, O7, O16, O18 and O75, as well as 35 of those with uncommonly encountered O serotypes including O8, O12, O15, O26, and O74. Groups B2 and D were the most prevalent phylogenetic groups and accounted for 29.5% and 41% of the isolates, respectively. In the tested 13 virulence genes (VGs), tonB and dsdA possessed the highest prevalence rate, followed by fimH, degP and ompR. Several other virulence genes such as fliC, neuC, ireA, and vat had prevalence less than 23%. Moreover, representative isolates belonging to common or uncommon O serotypes with different numbers of VGs were chosen for the pathogenic analyses. Based on the results of 1-day-old chick lethality assay and UTI ascending mouse infection model, our study suggested that the virulence of UPEC isolates for chicks and/or mice depended on both the number of VGs expressed and the O serotypes.