Urinary tract infections (UTI) are among the most common infectious diseases of humans and a major cause of morbidity. Staphylococcus saprophyticus is a coagulase-negative Staphylococcus that causes UTI, particularly among sexually active young women, and is second only to uropathogenic Escherichia coli as the most frequent cause of UTI. However, surprisingly little is known about the molecular mechanisms that underpin the ability of S. saprophyticus to cause infection, with only a handful of molecular genetic studies undertaken to date. Recently, the genome sequence of S. saprophyticus ATCC 15305 was published and revealed the existence of the uro-adherence factor A (UafA) adhesin. We have identified a novel plasmid-located gene in another S. saprophyticus strain (ARC1254) which we have termed uafB. UafB is a putative surface-anchored adhesin that is most similar to a group of serine-rich repeat surface proteins including the characterised GspB adhesin of Streptococcus gordonii that are dependent on a dedicated export system for glycosylation and transport across the cell membrane. A locus of genes encoding sec machinery and glycosylation accessory proteins is located immediately downstream of the uafB gene. Polyclonal antibodies have been raised against UafB and several assays have been employed to demonstrate that UafB is surface expressed in ARC1254. Experiments are in progress to determine the function of UafB with respect to adhesion and colonisation of the urinary tract.