HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

Identification of virulence genes in uropathogenic Escherichia coli by multiplex polymerase chain reaction and their association with infectivity in mice.

AbstractOBJECTIVES:
To use multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to screen a large number of Escherichia coli clinical isolates for virulence factor genes and to evaluate the importance of several known factors in the etiology of urinary tract infection.
METHODS:
Eighty-six E. coli isolates from urine or vaginal or rectal swabs of patients with recurrent urinary tract infection were screened for P fimbria (pap), hemolysin (hly), aerobactin (aer), cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (cnf1), S fimbria (sfa), and afimbrial adhesion I (afaI) genes by multiplex PCR. The phenotype of the strains was determined for type 1 fimbriae and O antigen serotype. The infectivity of 11 strains with different combinations of virulence factors was tested using a mouse model of unobstructed urinary tract infection.
RESULTS:
Type 1 fimbriae were present in 81 of the 86 strains and was the only virulence factor in approximately one third of the isolates. Genes for hly, aer, cnf1, sfa, or pap were present in approximately one fourth of the strains; afaI was present less frequently. A positive type 1 fimbriae phenotype was common to all strains that induced a bladder infection in mice.
CONCLUSIONS:
Multiplex PCR methods can be effectively applied to studies that require genetic screening of numerous E. coli uropathogens. Where phenotypic information was available, it was consistent with genotypes identified by PCR. Infectivity studies showed that the presence of the type 1 fimbriae gene in an E. coli isolate was required to establish a bladder infection. Other genes that were not identified in this study may also be required in mice and humans.
AuthorsMichelle D Morin, Walter J Hopkins
JournalUrology (Urology) Vol. 60 Issue 3 Pg. 537-41 (Sep 2002) ISSN: 1527-9995 [Electronic] United States
PMID12350513 (Publication Type: Comparative Study, Journal Article, Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.)
Chemical References
  • Virulence Factors
Topics
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Animals
  • Disease Models, Animal
  • Escherichia coli (genetics, isolation & purification)
  • Escherichia coli Infections (microbiology)
  • Female
  • Genes, Bacterial (genetics)
  • Humans
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred BALB C
  • Middle Aged
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction (methods)
  • Urinary Tract Infections (microbiology)
  • Virulence Factors (analysis, genetics)

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: