Cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) induces an inflammatory response in the urinary tract in vitro but not in vivo

Cytotoxic necrotizing factor 1 (CNF1) is a well-defined virulence factor of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. We studied the role of CNF1 in uroepithelial cells as well as in children and adults with sporadic and recurrent UTI. Our study suggests that CNF1 may promote bacterial attachment and invasion and can induce an inflammatory response in the urinary tract in vitro but that its role in vivo is possibly minor in comparison with other virulence factors of the uropathogenic E. coli.