[Clinico-bacteriological studies on the etiology of bacterial prostatitis. II. Virulence factors of E. coli in bacterial prostatitis].

The virulence factors of E. coli in bacterial prostatitis were studied using 59 E. coli isolated from uncomplicated prostatitis. O-antigens of prostatitis-derived E. coli belonged to some specific serotypes such as 0-4, 6, 18, 22 and the haemolysin production was positive in 64.4%. With regard to the fimbriae, the majority of the strains had type 1 fimbriae (81.4%). Mannose resistant (MR) fimbriae were also positive in 59.3% and both type 1 and MR fimbriae were positive in 55.9%. Among MR strains, P-fimbriated and S-fimbriated strains were present in 25.7% and 28.6%, respectively, indicating that these two MR fimbriae were not always specific for the prostatitis-derived E. coli. Although the specific adhesion of E. coli onto the human prostatic epithelium mediated by MR-fimbriae was equivocal, that mediated by type 1 fimbriae was observed clearly. Therefore, type 1 fimbriae was thought to be one of the most significant virulence factors in the pathogenesis of prostatitis caused by E. coli.