E. coli FrmR Variants from ALTAR Clinical Trial

ALTAR clinical trial data includes Escherichia coli isolates screened for formaldehyde resistance, with 5.8% growing in > 1 mM formaldehyde. Bioinformatics identified 4 non-functional frmR alleles and 2 plasmid-encoded frmA homologues. The dataset supports analysis of bacterial resistance mechanisms to methenamine-formaldehyde conversion in urine.

Use Cases

• Identify associations between non-functional frmR alleles and growth in > 1 mM formaldehyde.
• Analyze the prevalence of plasmid-encoded frmA homologues in E. coli isolates from ALTAR participants.
• Compare urine composition features, like formate levels, between methenamine hippurate and antibiotic prophylaxis users.
• Model bacterial susceptibility to methenamine-formaldehyde conversion across different urine pH levels (e.g., 5.6, 6.0).

Strengths

• Data originates from the ALTAR clinical trial, a structured study on recurrent UTI management.
• Specific quantitative findings are reported, including 5.8% of isolates growing in > 1 mM formaldehyde and the identification of 4 frmR alleles.
• Includes experimental validation of growth in artificial urine at specific pH levels (5.6 and 6.0).

Limitations

• The dataset is very small at 5.5 KB, indicating limited scope and likely a small number of isolates or observations.
• Column structure and sample data are unavailable, hindering immediate analysis without further investigation.
• Focus is on a specific bacterial mechanism (frmRAB operon) from a single clinical trial, limiting generalizability.

Provenance

Source

figshare, authored by Niamh C. Hodgkinson.

Collection Method

Derived from screening ALTAR clinical trial E. coli isolates and subsequent bioinformatics analysis.

Time Range

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Freshness

Last updated March 24, 2026.

Geography

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