Adhesins of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli (UPEC)

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the main pathogen associated with urinary tract infections namely cystitis, pyleonephritis and infectious complications. As a commensal, E.coli is mostly harmless in the gut. Some strains diverge and become more pathogenic. They express multiple virulence factors and invade the Urinary tract (UT). The important ones are the adhesins or specialized proteins with sticky ends, which help to break the inertia of urinary bladder mucosa and help to attach to them.

Host immune response trigger inflammatory reactions, resulting in symptoms of Urinary tract infections (UTI). Recent studies help to get updated information about the molecular mechanisms behind the adhesins. This knowledge is helpful for better understanding of the pathogenesis of UTI which can then be applied to epidemiological research. It also helps to understand the revolutionary trends, to help with better prognosis and to devise new methods in lab diagnosis & vaccine development. This review is intended to unravel the molecular components that makeup the adhesions of UPEC.