title: Virulence characteristics and  antimicrobial susceptibility of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains.
abstract: Eight  virulence factors associated with uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC)  were investigated in 204 clinical isolates of E. coli recovered from  urine cultures at counts ≥10(5). The bacteria were classified into two groups  according to the number of leukocytes in urine samples from which they were  isolated: group I ≤8 leukocytes/hpf, 104 strains; group II >8  leukocytes/hpf, 100 strains. Two multiplex PCR systems were used to detect  genes encoding adhesin P (pap), adhesin S (sfa), afimbrial  adhesin I (afa), siderophore aerobactin (aer), alpha-hemolysin (hly),  cytotoxic necrotizing factor type 1 (cnf1), and traT associated  with serum resistance. The PAI marker for the virulence island identified in  strains CFT072 and CVD432, a marker of enteroaggregative E. coli, was  also investigated using PCR. The susceptibility profile of E. coli strains  was determined by disk diffusion method. Ninety percent UPEC showed at least  one of the virulence genes, the prevalence being traT (76%), aer (41%),  PAI (32%), sfa (26%), pap (25%), cnf1 (18%), afa (6%),  and hly (5%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of  virulence genes between groups I and II. A significantly higher degree of  virulence was detected in UPEC group II. The CVD432 gene was not detected in  any of the UPECs. Fifty-nine percent of the strains were resistant to at least  one of the antimicrobials that we tested; the most common being resistance to  ampicillin (51%) and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (44%).
authors: Departamento de Patologia Médica, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Curitiba, PR, Brasil.
authors: F A
authors: FA
authors: Oliveira
authors: K S
authors: KS
authors: Paludo
authors: L N V S
authors: LN
authors: Arend
authors: S M S S
authors: SM
authors: Farah
authors: F O
authors: FO
authors: Pedrosa
authors: E M
authors: EM
authors: Souza
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Surek
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Picheth
authors: C M T
authors: CM
authors: Fadel-Picheth
mesh_terms: D004352:Drug Resistance, Microbial / Q000235:genetics; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000652:urine; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D056689:Uropathogenic Escherichia coli / Q000472:pathogenicity*; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D037521:Virulence Factors