Genetic Diversity of Uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> Isolated from Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type I (HTLV-I) Infected Individuals

Abstract

Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a frequent pathology among HTLV-I+ individuals being capable of severely compromising the kidneys and bladder. Molecular characteristics of uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) from HTLV-I+ infected individuals are unknown. UPEC isolates from HTVL-I+ individuals, with and without clinical symptoms of myelopathy, were submitted to genetic typing seeking to infer bacterial diversity and potential virulence. 71 bacterial isolates were characterized according to random amplified polymorphic DNA and phylotypes. Phylotyping classified E. coli into four phylogenetic groups: A (18.3%), B1 (16.9%), B2 (39.4%), and D (25.3%) and 8 phylotypes according to the presence of the genetic sequences chuA, yjaA and the DNA fragment TSPE4.C2: −−− (5.6%) and −+− (12.6%) in phylogroup A, −−+ (7.0%) and −++ (9.8%) in B1, +++ (32.3%) and ++− (7.0%) in B2, +−− (15.4%) and +−+ (9.8%) in D. The B2 phylogroup was the most prevalent among HTLV− associated myelopathy and asymptomatic individuals. RAPD-PCR typing revealed a high degree of bacterial polymorphism indicating a non-clonal origin. Genotypes were not found to be distributed according to clinical status or epidemiological features. Our results lead us to suggest that the neurological impairment in HTLV-I+ individuals can be a risk factor for urinary infections due E. coli which are caused by distinct bacterial lineages.