P fimbriae enhance the early establishment of Escherichia coli in the human urinary tract
This study examined the role of P fimbriae in the establishment of bacteriuria. Patients (n = 17) were subjected to intravesical inoculation with an asymptomatic bacteriuria strain, Escherichia coli 83972, or its P-fimbriated (pap+/prs+) transformants. As shown by groupwise analysis, the pap+/prs+ transformants established bacteriuria more rapidly than E. coli 83972 (P = 0.021) and required a lowe