Escherichia coli K5 antigen in relation to various infections and in healthy individuals.

A phage specific for Escherichia coli K5 antigen was used to determine the frequency of K5 in strains of E. coli isolated from cases of sepsis, meningitis, and urinary tract infection (pyelonephritis, cystitis, and asymptomatic bacteriuria), as well as from fecal samples of healthy subjects. Although entirely absent from meningitic strains, K5 was found to be one of the most common E. coli capsular antigens, especially in strains causing sepsis. K5 was less common in the fecal strains of healthy subjects than in strains causing various urinary tract infections, between which there was no significant difference in its frequency. Thus, even if K5 is a less important antigen than K1 in the etiology of acute pyelonephritis or acute meningitis, as the fifth most commonly occurring K antigen in E. coli strains causing urinary tract infection it should be included as a component in any K antigen-based vaccine against acute pyelonephritis.