Widespread Distribution of Urinary Tract Infections Caused by a Multidrug-resistant Escherichia Coli Clonal Group

Background: The management of urinary tract infections is complicated by the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant strains of Escherichia coli. We studied the clonal composition of E. coli isolates that were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole from women with community-acquired urinary tract infections.

Methods: Prospectively collected E. coli isolates from women with urinary tract infections in a university community in California were evaluated for antibiotic susceptibility, O:H serotype, DNA fingerprinting, pulsed-field gel electrophoretic pattern, and virulence factors. The prevalence and characteristics of an antibiotic-resistant clone were evaluated in this group of isolates and in those from comparison cohorts in Michigan and Minnesota.

Results: Fifty-five of the 255 E. coli isolates (22 percent) from the California cohort were resistant to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole as well as other antibiotics. There was a common pattern of DNA fingerprinting, suggesting that the isolates belonged to the same clonal group (clonal group A), in 28 of 55 isolates with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole resistance (51 percent) and in 2 of 50 randomly selected isolates that were susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (4 percent, P<0.001). In addition, 11 of 29 resistant isolates (38 percent) from the Michigan cohort and 7 of 18 (39 percent) from the Minnesota cohort belonged to clonal group A. Most of the clonal group A isolates were serotype O11:H(nt) or O77:H(nt), with similar patterns of virulence factors, antibiotic susceptibility, and electrophoretic features.

Conclusions: In three geographically diverse communities, a single clonal group accounted for nearly half of community-acquired urinary tract infections in women that were caused by E. coli strains with resistance to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole. The widespread distribution and high prevalence of E. coli clonal group A has major public health implications.