Clonal and pathotypic analysis of archetypal Escherichia coli cystitis isolate NU14

Escherichia coli NU14, a cystitis isolate used to study the pathogenesis of cystitis and to develop a FimH (type 1 fimbrial adhesin) vaccine, was asse ssed for extended virulence genotype, phylogenetic background, and FimH seq uence and binding phenotype(s). NU14 exhibited the same virulence genotype and was derived from the same (meningitis- and cystitis-associated) subclon e of E. coli O18: K1:H7 as the archetypal neonatal bacterial meningitis (NB M) isolate RS218. NU14 also displayed the same Ser62Ala FimH polymorphism a s did NBM isolates RS218 and IHE3034-conferring both collagen binding and a distinct monomannose binding capability (which characterizes uropathogenic but not commensal E. coli and dramatically increases adherence to uroepith elial cells). These findings establish that strain NU14 exhibits numerous u rovirulence-associated traits and derives from the single most prevalent cl onal group in acute cystitis. They provide further evidence of clonal and p athotypic similarities between cystitis and NBM isolates of E. coli O18: K1 : H7.