In addition to the general drop in metabolic activity, downregulation of flagella (FliCN and FlgH) and chemotaxis-related proteins (CheWYZ, Tsr, and Tar) could be a major reason for reduced virulence, as it was previously shown that these can be deemed essential during infection and are required for adhesion to the bladder epithelium (47, –, 49). This evidence concerns the gene RBM8A and infection.