This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Reprints and Permissions Copyright Information Books from ASM Press MicrobeWorld Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Roos, V. Articles by Klemm, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Roos, V. Articles by Klemm, P.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Infection and Immunity, January 2006, p. 615-624, Vol. 74, No. 1
0019-9567/06/$08.00+0     doi:10.1128/IAI.74.1.615-624.2006
Copyright © 2006, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Escherichia coli Strain 83972 Outcompetes Uropathogenic E. coli Strains in Human Urine

Microbial Adhesion Group, Center for Biomedical Microbiology, BioCentrum-DTU, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Lyngby, Denmark,¹ School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia²

Received 28 July 2005/ Returned for modification 14 September 2005/ Accepted 16 October 2005

Escherichia coli is the most common organism associated with asymptomatic bacteriuria (ABU). In contrast to uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC), which causes symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTI), very little is known about the mechanisms by which these strains colonize the human urinary tract. The prototype ABU E. coli strain 83972 was originally isolated from a girl who had carried it asymptomatically for 3 years. Deliberate colonization of UTI-susceptible individuals with E. coli 83972 has been used successfully as an alternative approach for the treatment of patients who are refractory to conventional therapy. Colonization with strain 83972 appears to prevent infection with UPEC strains in such patients despite the fact that this strain is unable to express the primary adhesins involved in UTI, viz. P and type 1 fimbriae. Here we investigated the growth characteristics of E. coli 83972 in human urine and show that it can outcompete a representative spectrum of UPEC strains for growth in urine. The unique ability of ABU E. coli 83972 to outcompete UPEC in urine was also demonstrated in a murine model of human UTI, confirming the selective advantage over UPEC in vivo. Comparison of global gene expression profiles of E. coli 83972 grown in lab medium and human urine revealed significant differences in expression levels in the two media; significant down-regulation of genes encoding virulence factors such as hemolysin, lipid A, and capsular polysaccharides was observed in cells grown in urine. Clearly, divergent abilities of ABU E. coli and UPEC to exploit human urine as a niche for persistence and survival suggest that these key differences may be exploited for preventative and/or therapeutic approaches.

Editor: J. B. Bliska

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Tree, J. J., Ulett, G. C., Ong, C.-L. Y., Trott, D. J., McEwan, A. G., Schembri, M. A. (2008). Trade-Off between Iron Uptake and Protection against Oxidative Stress: Deletion of cueO Promotes Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Virulence in a Mouse Model of Urinary Tract Infection. J. Bacteriol. 190: 6909-6912 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Valle, J., Mabbett, A. N., Ulett, G. C., Toledo-Arana, A., Wecker, K., Totsika, M., Schembri, M. A., Ghigo, J.-M., Beloin, C. (2008). UpaG, a New Member of the Trimeric Autotransporter Family of Adhesins in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. J. Bacteriol. 190: 4147-4161 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Sabri, M., Caza, M., Proulx, J., Lymberopoulos, M. H., Bree, A., Moulin-Schouleur, M., Curtiss, R. III, Dozois, C. M. (2008). Contribution of the SitABCD, MntH, and FeoB Metal Transporters to the Virulence of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli O78 Strain {chi}7122. Infect. Immun. 76: 601-611 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Zdziarski, J., Svanborg, C., Wullt, B., Hacker, J., Dobrindt, U. (2008). Molecular Basis of Commensalism in the Urinary Tract: Low Virulence or Virulence Attenuation?. Infect. Immun. 76: 695-703 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hancock, V., Ferrieres, L., Klemm, P. (2008). The ferric yersiniabactin uptake receptor FyuA is required for efficient biofilm formation by urinary tract infectious Escherichia coli in human urine. Microbiology 154: 167-175 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Klemm, P., Hancock, V., Schembri, M. A. (2007). Mellowing Out: Adaptation to Commensalism by Escherichia coli Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Strain 83972. Infect. Immun. 75: 3688-3695 [Full Text]  
• Ulett, G. C., Mabbett, A. N., Fung, K. C., Webb, R. I., Schembri, M. A. (2007). The role of F9 fimbriae of uropathogenic Escherichia coli in biofilm formation. Microbiology 153: 2321-2331 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ulett, G. C., Valle, J., Beloin, C., Sherlock, O., Ghigo, J.-M., Schembri, M. A. (2007). Functional Analysis of Antigen 43 in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Reveals a Role in Long-Term Persistence in the Urinary Tract. Infect. Immun. 75: 3233-3244 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Alteri, C. J., Mobley, H. L. T. (2007). Quantitative Profile of the Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Outer Membrane Proteome during Growth in Human Urine. Infect. Immun. 75: 2679-2688 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Ferrieres, L., Hancock, V., Klemm, P. (2007). Biofilm exclusion of uropathogenic bacteria by selected asymptomatic bacteriuria Escherichia coli strains. Microbiology 153: 1711-1719 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Shelburne, S. A. III, Okorafor, N., Sitkiewicz, I., Sumby, P., Keith, D., Patel, P., Austin, C., Graviss, E. A., Musser, J. M. (2007). Regulation of Polysaccharide Utilization Contributes to the Persistence of Group A Streptococcus in the Oropharynx. Infect. Immun. 75: 2981-2990 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hancock, V., Klemm, P. (2007). Global Gene Expression Profiling of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Escherichia coli during Biofilm Growth in Human Urine. Infect. Immun. 75: 966-976 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Roos, V., Klemm, P. (2006). Global Gene Expression Profiling of the Asymptomatic Bacteriuria Escherichia coli Strain 83972 in the Human Urinary Tract.. Infect. Immun. 74: 3565-3575 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Roos, V., Schembri, M. A., Ulett, G. C., Klemm, P. (2006). Asymptomatic bacteriuria Escherichia coli strain 83972 carries mutations in the foc locus and is unable to express F1C fimbriae. Microbiology 152: 1799-1806 [Abstract] [Full Text]