ABSTRACTUropathogenicEscherichia coli(UPEC) is extremely diverse genotypically and phenotypically. Individual strains can variably carry diverse virulence factors, making it challenging to define a molecular signature for this pathotype. For many bacterial pathogens, mobile genetic elements (MGEs) constitute a major mechanism of virulence factor acquisition. For urinaryE. coli, the total distribution of MGEs and their role in the acquisition of virulence factors is not well defined, including in the context of symptomatic infection versus asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB). In this work, we characterized 151 isolates ofE. coli, derived from patients with either urinary tract infection (UTI) or ASB. For both sets ofE. coli, we catalogued the presence of plasmids, prophage, and transposons. We analyzed MGE sequences for the presence of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance genes. These MGEs were associated with only ~4% of total virulence associated genes, while plasmids contributed to ~15% of antimicrobial resistance genes under consideration. Our analyses suggests that, across strains ofE. coli, MGEs are not a prominent driver of urinary tract pathogenesis and symptomatic infection.IMPORTANCEEscherichia coliis the most common etiological agent of urinary tract infections (UTIs), with UTI-associated strains designated “uropathogenic”E. colior UPEC. Across urinary strains ofE. coli, the global landscape of MGEs and its relationship to virulence factor carriage and clinical symptomatology require greater clarity. Here, we demonstrate that many of the putative virulence factors of UPEC are not associated with acquisition due to MGEs. The current work enhances our understanding of the strain-to-strain variability and pathogenic potential of urine-associatedE. coliand points toward more subtle genomic differences distinguishing ASB from UTI isolates.