Prevalence of papC and usp Virulence Factors in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Causing Asymptomatic Urinary Tract Infections in Adolescents

Aims: To determine the prevalence of two virulence genes associated with uropathogenic Escherichia coli; papC gene of the P fimbriae for adherence to uro-epithelial cells and usp (uropathogen-specific protein) gene, a Vibrio cholerae toxin gene homologue.
Study Design: Cross sectional.
Place and Duration of Study: Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology and the Clinical Analysis Laboratory, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, between October 2011 and February 2012.
Methodology: Escherichia coli isolates (n= 149) from an adolescent population of ages 13-18 years (from a total sampled population of 85 males and 64 females) were screened for papC and usp, using specific primers for the two genes in polymerase chain reactions.
Results: The usp gene was the most prevalent (72.48%), followed by papC (51.00%) and papC+usp (24.16%). Significant difference (P = .002) was observed between papC and usp and also papC and papC+usp (P < .0001). usp Gene prevalence was also significantly different from that of papC+usp (P < .0001).
Conclusion: This study suggests that a higher proportion of strains of uropathogenic Escherichia coli implicated in UTI in the studied population possess the usp gene whose protein product potentially serves to reduce competing microbes in the urinary tract.