E. coli pelvic inflammatory disease

*Escherichia coli* pelvic inflammatory disease is an upper female genital tract infection caused by ascending invasion of the Gram-negative enteric bacterium *Escherichia coli*, either as a primary pathogen or as part of a complex polymicrobial process.

The condition primarily affects reproductive-age females and involves inflammatory changes across anatomical structures including the endometrium, fallopian tubes, ovaries, and adjacent pelvic peritoneum.

Clinically, it is characterized by lower abdominal or pelvic pain, uterine and adnexal tenderness, cervical motion tenderness, purulent vaginal discharge, and systemically elevated inflammatory markers or fever.

Pathophysiologically, non-sexually transmitted enteric bacteria like *E.

coli* ascend through the cervix, promoting mucosal inflammation and tissue damage that can progress to pyosalpinx, tubo-ovarian abscess, long-term tubal scarring, ectopic pregnancy, or chronic pelvic pain.