Investigation of the Gene Expression of Class I Integron and Its Relationship to Antibiotic Resistance in Isolates of Escherichia Coli Causing Urinary Tract Diseases

Abstract

This study was aimed to determine the relationship between Integron class I and multidrug resistance in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli. In this investigation, 302 urine samples in total were used. 139 Uropathogenic E. coli were collected from patients in hospital. Then, using biochemical testing and the Vitek II compact system, all of the isolates were diagnosed and confirmed. All E. coli isolates were tested using a disc diffusion procedure to detect their susceptibility to 23 types of antibiotics from different classes, and the result showed that these bacteria were highly resistant to most used antibiotics especially, Cefotaxime, Ampicillin, Piperacillin, Trimethoprim- sulfamethoxazole, Cefepime and Ceftazidime, while the most effective antibiotics were Colistin and Tigecyclin. Also, the results show different resistance patterns in which 111 (79.86%) isolate showed multidrug resistance MDR, Extensively drug resistance XDR 18 isolate (12.94%), while Pandrug resistance PDR 3 (2.15%). PCR was used to detect the presence of integron class I in MDR isolates, which was found in 87 of isolates with a 483 bp amplification product. Using the broth dilution method, the minimum inhibitory concentration of UPEC isolates with pan drug resistance to Cefotaxime and Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole was established. By measuring gene expression using real-time PCR, the relationship between Integron class I and resistance to these antibiotics was estimated. The results of gene expression revealed a close relationship between the presence of integron class 1 and the resistance of E. coli to cefotaxime and trimethprim.