Escherichia coli colonization patterns among human household members and pets, with attention to acute urinary tract infection.
BACKGROUND
Within-household transmission of Escherichia coli may promote urinary tract infection (UTI) but is poorly understood.


METHODS
Fecal samples from 228 individuals (152 humans [5 with acute UTI] and 76 pets) in 63 households were extensively processed for unique E. coli clones, as defined by random-amplified polymorphic DNA analysis and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Patterns of strain sharing (presence of a clone in multiple individuals) were assessed.


RESULTS
Of 335 E. coli clones, 90 (27%) were recovered from multiple hosts (up to 11 per clone). Within-household strain sharing (1) involved 68% of households, including 3 of 5 households in which a member had a UTI; (2) was more frequent than across-household strain sharing (27% vs. 0.8% of potential sharing pairs; P< .001); (3) increased with household size (r2=0.93; P< .001); and (4) varied by host-pair type (pet-pet, 58%; human-human, 31%; human-pet, 17%). Sex partners shared strains more commonly than did other adults (31% vs. 7% of pairs; P= .08) but accounted for only 12% of within-household strain sharing.


CONCLUSIONS
Within-household sharing of E. coli, including in households in which a member has a UTI, is common and can involve any combination of humans and pets. Identification of the underlying mechanism(s) could lead to novel preventive measures against UTI.
Johnson
James R
JR
Mucosal and Vaccine Research Center, Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minnesota, Minneapolis 55417, USA. johns007@umn.edu
Owens
Krista
K
Gajewski
Abbey
A
Clabots
Connie
C
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic / Q000382:microbiology*; D002415:Cats; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004285:Dogs; D016521:Electrophoresis, Gel, Pulsed-Field; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D019105:Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA Technique; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000635:transmission