Original Article

Spinal Cord (2008) 46, 633–638; doi:10.1038/sc.2008.60; published online 17 June 2008

Escherichia coli colonizing the neurogenic bladder are similar to widespread clones causing disease in patients with normal bladder function

T A Schlager1, J R Johnson2, L M Ouellette3 and T S Whittam3

  1. 1University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
  2. 2VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA
  3. 3Microbial Evolution Laboratory, National Food Safety and Toxicology Center, Michigan State University, MI, USA

Correspondence: Dr TA Schlager, Emergency Department, University of Virginia Health System, PO Box 800699, Charlottesville, VA 22908-0699, USA. E-mail: tas8n@virginia.edu

Received 7 January 2008; Revised 18 April 2008; Accepted 20 April 2008; Published online 17 June 2008.

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Abstract

Study design:

 

Clonal typing of neurogenic clones.

Objective:

 

To determine whether neurogenic clones carried over weeks in the urine of asymptomatic children with neurogenic bladder were similar to known uropathogenic clones associated with disease.

Setting:

 

Michigan State University; VA Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN, USA.

Methods:

 

Escherichia coli isolates from the urine of 15 children previously followed were typed by multilocus sequence typing and compared to 2 human pyelonephritis genome strains, 29 pediatric or adult symptomatic urinary tract infection strains, 15 pediatric asymptomatic bacteriuria strains, 6 animal urinary tract infection strains and a neonatal meningitis-septicemia prototype K1 strain. Phylotypes and virulence genotypes were determined using PCR.

Results:

 

Twenty-nine E. coli isolates were classified into 15 clones. Six of 15 clones were the same sequence type or a close relative to a clone that caused disease in a human or animal. These clones were considered uropathogens. The remaining nine clones were not closely related to a clone that caused disease and were considered commensal clones. Uropathogens were predominantly group B2, exhibited more virulence genes and were carried for more weeks in the neurogenic bladder compared to commensal clones. Nine of 15 children carried one or more uropathogenic clones; 4 children carried one or more commensal clones and 2 children carried both uropathogenic and commensal clones.

Conclusion:

 

Children with neurogenic bladder most commonly carried commensal clones. Uropathogenic clones were associated with prolonged carriage, however, carriage was not associated with symptomatic disease or deterioration of the upper urinary tract.

Keywords:

neurogenic bladder, bacteriuria, virulence factors, sequence types

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