Acquisition of a pathogenicity island in an Escherichia coli clinical isolate causing febrile urinary tract infection.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are less common in men than in women, and uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most frequent etiological agent. Recurrent UTI in men have often been reported as a relapse with the same strain as the index infection. The persistence of the same E. coli strain within the urinary tract has often been explained by a prostatic focus. The aim of this study was to determine whether recurrence was associated with relapse or reinfection and the possible effect of treatment on the content of virulence factors of the isolates causing these infections. Thirty E. coli isolates were collected from 15 patients with a febrile UTI having a bacteriological recurrence during long-term follow-up. These isolates were analyzed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and virulence profiling in order to determine whether they constituted relapse or reinfection. Five recurrences were categorized as relapse and nine as reinfections. The results obtained showed that the horizontal transfer of virulence factors contained in a pathogenicity island had occurred in one isolate. This event is possible in vivo and allows bacteria to become more virulent and, perhaps, cause greater damage. The acquisition of virulence genes by horizontal gene transfer is an ongoing process of evolution that continuously leads to new bacterial pathotypes.