title: Virulence factors, biofilm-forming ability, and antimicrobial resistance of urinaryEscherichia colistrains isolated from hospitalized patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Escherichia coli is the most frequent cause of urinary tract infections. We investigated the possible associations between the origin of strains, antimicrobial resistance, the presence of urovirulence factors, and biofilm-forming ability.
  
  
  METHODS
  Antibiotic susceptibility of E. coli strains was tested by disk diffusion method. Hemagglutination assays were performed for phenotypic characterization of the cell surface. Multiplex PCR was used for detection of virulence genes and for determination of phylogenetic relationships.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The resistance to ampicillin (55.5%) and tetracycline (39.3%) was significantly more frequent than to other antimicrobial agents. The fim gene was present in 92.5% of strains. The sfa and pap genes were found in 53.8% and 38.7% of strains, respectively. The pap gene was significantly less frequently detected in strains from dialysis patients. The hly gene was present in 18.5% of strains. The aer gene was detected in 52.6% and cnf in 12.1%, while afa was detected in 4.6% of strains. Most strains belonged to the B2 and D phylogenetic groups. The aer gene was significantly associated with strains producing strong biofilms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The E. coli strains causing cystitis in hospitalized patients differed in terms of resistance to antibiotics, virulence genes, and potential for biofilm formation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kot
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland.
authors.forename: Jolanta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wicha
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural Experimentation, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland.
authors.forename: Agata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Grużewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Piechota
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Institute of Biology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland.
authors.forename: Katarzyna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wolska
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biology, Siedlce University of Natural Sciences and Humanities, Siedlce, Poland.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Obrębska
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D018441:Biofilms; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D004926:Escherichia coli; D004927:Escherichia coli Infections; D006801:Humans; D010802:Phylogeny; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections; D014774:Virulence; D037521:Virulence Factors
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D037521:Virulence Factors
keywords: Uropathogenic Escherichia coli; antibiotic resistance; biofilm; phylogenetic groups; virulence genes