Escherichia coli in patients of 60 years and older hospitalized with invasive E. coli disease

Escherichia coli is the most common cause of gram-negative infections in humans, possessing the ability to infect extraintestinal sites such as the urinary tract as well as normally sterile body sites resulting in invasive E. coli disease (IED). Although this affects all age categories, adults aged 60 years or older have an increased risk of developing the disease. A four-valent (ExPEC4V) and nine-valent (ExPEC9V) bioconjugate vaccine are currently assessed in clinical studies towards development of a vaccine for prevention of IED.In this EXPECT-2 multicentre, prospective, observational study, the major objectives were assessment of O-serotype, sequence type, antimicrobial resistance profile and genomic diversity of E. coli isolates obtained from hospitalized patients aged 60 years and older with a diagnosis of IED disease. Additionally, the theoretical coverage of vaccine candidates EXPEC4V and EXPEC9V was evaluated.