The role of uropathogenic Escherichia coli adhesive molecules in inflammatory response- comparative study on immunocompetent hosts and kidney recipients.

BACKGROUND: Urinary tract infections (UTI) represent one of the most common contagious diseases in humans. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains are recognized as the most frequent causative agent, and these express a range of virulence factors including the adhesins. Immune response to UPEC under immunosuppression has not been fully understood yet. Interleukin 1ß (IL1ß), 6 (IL6) and 17 (IL17) represent clinically relevant markers of inflammation. AIM: The study aimed to investigate the interplay between UPEC genotype and hosts' immune status in shaping local inflammatory response in the course of an UTI episode. The respective numbers of: 18 kidney recipients with UPEC UTI, 28 immunocompetent hosts with UPEC UTI and 29 healthy controls were involved. Urine IL1ß, IL6, and IL17/creatinine ratios in relation to fimH, csgA, papC, tosA, and flu genes presence in UPEC isolated from the urine samples were analyzed. Apart from traditional statistics, also machine learning algorithms were applied. RESULTS: The urine levels of IL1ß and IL 6 were similar in kidney recipients and the immunocompetent hosts. IL1ß levels were higher in both kidney recipients and immunocompetent hosts than in controls, while IL6 levels were higher only in immunocompetent hosts than in controls. In the machine learning classification model, high urine IL17 levels were significantly more prevalent in controls, while low IL17 levels in urines infected with Ag43-positive UPEC strains, regardless of the host's immune status. In the traditional statistical analysis, IL17 levels appeared significantly higher in urine samples from kidney recipients infected with Ag43-negative UPEC strains. CONCLUSIONS: In the UTI- affected patients, the combination of the immune status of an individual and Ag43 status of the UPEC strain determined urine IL17 level in the analyzed group. However, IL17 levels above median were overall more prevalent in controls.

Genotypic characterisation and antimicrobial resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains isolated from patients of different hospitals and medical centres in Poland.

BACKGROUND: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a Gram-negative bacteria responsible for infections in immunocompromised patients and is one of the most common causes of nosocomial infections particularly in intensive care and burn units. We aimed to investigate the population structure of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from patients at different hospital wards. METHODS: We analysed the possible presence of P. aeruginosa epidemic or endemic strains in hospitals of the selected region. A genotyping analysis was performed for P. aeruginosa isolates (n = 202) collected from patients of eleven hospitals in north-western Poland. Collections of P. aeruginosa were genotyped using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). Phenotypic screening for antibiotic susceptibility was performed for the common antimicrobial agents. RESULTS: Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates were distributed among 116 different pulsotype groups. We identified 30 groups of clonally related strains, each containing from 2 to 17 isolates and typed the obtained 13 unique patterns, designated as A, D, E, J, K, M, N, Ó, P, T, X, AC, AD, and AH. The two largest clusters, D and E, contained 17 and 13 isolates, respectively. Strains of these groups were continuously isolated from patients at intensive care units and burn units, indicating transmission of these strains. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we demonstrate the clonal relatedness of P. aeruginosa strains and their constant exchange in hospitals over a period of 15 months. The obtained results indicate a predominantly non-clonal structure of P. aeruginosa.