Using a mouse model, it has been shown that uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) strains, that expresses type 1 pili, have a survival advantage in the bladder (Mulvey et al., 1998), and that E. coli lacking type 1 or P pili is greatly attenuated in causing urinary tract infections (Sivick and Mobley, 2010). Here, OCA2 is linked to urinary tract infection.