Adhesiveness to urinary tract epithelial cells of fecal and urinary Escherichia coli isolates from patients with symptomatic urinary tract infections or asymptomatic bacteriuria of varying duration.

Adhesiveness to human urinary tract epithelial cells was high for Escherichia coli strains isolated from patients with acute pyelonephritis and acute cystitis, and low for asymptomatic bacteriuria strains detected at screening. Escherichia coli bacteria causing asymptomatic reinfections, detected near the onset of bacteriuria, adhered more than those detected at screening. No difference in the adhesive ability was found between fecal isolates of the strain causing urinary tract infection, isolated at or before onset of bacteriuria, and the urinary strain in symptomatic or asymptomatic patients. Normal fecal Escherichia coli from non-bacteriuric patients adhered less than all other strains tested.