Escherichia coli Isolates That Carryvat,fyuA,chuA, andyfcVEfficiently Colonize the Urinary Tract

Abstract

ABSTRACTExtraintestinalEscherichia coli(ExPEC), a heterogeneous group of pathogens, encompasses avian, neonatal meningitis, and uropathogenicE. colistrains. While several virulence factors are associated with ExPEC, there is no core set of virulence factors that can be used to definitively differentiate these pathotypes. Here we describe a multiplex of four virulence factor-encoding genes,yfcV,vat,fyuA, andchuA, highly associated with uropathogenicE. colistrains that can distinguish three groups ofE. coli: diarrheagenic and animal-associatedE. colistrains, human commensal and avian pathogenicE. colistrains, and uropathogenic and neonatal meningitisE. colistrains. Furthermore, human intestinal isolates that encode all four predictor genes express them during exponential growth in human urine and colonize the bladder in the mouse model of ascending urinary tract infection in higher numbers than human commensal strains that do not encode the four predictor genes (P= 0.02), suggesting that the presence of the predictors correlates with uropathogenic potential.