Characterization of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli: Distribution of Adhesin-Encoding Genes and O-Serotypes Among Ciprofloxacin Susceptible and Resistant Isolates

Abstract

Background: Some evidence indicates that there is a potential linkage between ciprofloxacin resistance and the prevalence of virulence factors in pathogenic Escherichia coli strains. Objectives: The study was conducted to evaluate the association of eight putative adhesin-encoding genes and 12 O-serotypes among ciprofloxacin susceptible/resistant in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates. Methods: A total of 100 E. coli isolates collected from symptomatic patients with urinary tract infection were surveyed for antimicrobial susceptibility test and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to find the presence of eight putative adhesin-encoding genes and 12 O-serotype and their association with ciprofloxacin susceptibility and resistance. Results: The highest and the lowest resistance rates were obtained against ampicillin (92%) and gentamycin (19%), respectively. However, the resistance rate to ciprofloxacin was detected in 43% of E. coli isolates. PCR results revealed the frequency of eight putative adhesin markers ranged from 4 to 95%. The presence of 2 genes (fimH and sfa) was >76% among all screened isolates. Of 100 UPEC isolates, 73 were positive for one of the tested O-serotypes. The most common types of O-serotype were O2 (16%), O6 (16%), and O18 (14%). The fimH, sfa, and papC were the most prevalent pattern in the ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolates (31 vs. 17). There was no significant correlation between the presence of O-serotype, adhesin-encoding genes and susceptibility/resistance to ciprofloxacin. Conclusions: The results revealed that UPEC isolates of different geographical regions might have various properties. It is worthwhile to elucidate the differences that might result in producing valuable evidence based on clinical guidelines for the management of urinary tract infection.