Uropathogenic Escherichia coli: example of genomic plasticity

Abstract

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common and recurrent bacterial infections affecting men and women at any age. They also represent a worldwide public health problem. The main etiological agent is uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), present in more than 80% of community-acquired UTIs. To date, several authors have contributed studies describing the virulence factors that enable uropathogenic Escherichia coli to produce UTI. However, what is known about the genetics of this pathogen is restricted to a limited number of genes that have served for its classification, such as those coding for various virulence factors, which are not shared by all uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Therefore, the objective of this review is to know the impact that whole genome sequencing analysis has had in understanding the role of UPEC as a pathogen, as a complement to other studies.