[Frequency of adherent colibacillus in a population with acute pyelonephritis and a population with acute cystitis]

Urothelial adhesion of Escherichia coli is one of the principal factors of colonisation and infection of the upper urinary tract. We compared 3 measurements of bacterial adhesion: 1) Mannose-Resistant Haemagglutination (MRHA), é) Adhesion to urothelial cells, 3) Latex particle agglutination, to test 85 strains of Escherichia coli in 42 cases of acute pyelonephritis and 43 cases of acute cystitis. These tests were positive in 73.8% to 85.7% of the acute pyelonephritis population and in 4% to 2.3% of the acute cystitis population (statistically significant difference). This study confirms the major role of strains carrying type PAP adhesion in the pathogenesis of acute pyelonephritis.