E__coli_K1

E. coli K1 strains are major causes of septicaemia, sepsis and meningitis in the new born, worldwide. They may also cause severe urinary tract infection and, less frequently, systemic infection in older children and adults. Only a limited number of virulence determinants that may be responsible for disease outcome have been identified and, aside from the presence of the K1 capsular polysaccharide, the basis of K1 pathogenesis remains unclear. We have, for the first time, assembled a collection of E. coli K1 isolates from neonatal infections that have been diagnosed in ospitals in Europe, the United States and Asia, in addition to a number of isolates from non-neonatal infections. Whole-genome sequencing of these strains will enable comparisons between neonatal and adult isolates, identification of virulence factors that contribute to the disease process and reveal features that may lead to better diagnosis and treatment of the potentially lethal infections caused by these neonatal pathogens.