Identification of novel DNA sequence associated with pathogenicity island III536 locus in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolate and distribution of virulence determinants in β-lactam resistant isolates.

BACKGROUND: There is an increase in the number of Enterobacteriaceae with Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) type of antibiotic resistance in the Kingdom of Bahrain. However, the virulence determinants of the clinical isolates have not been previously assessed. The current study investigates the distribution of different virulence factors and the phylogenetic groups of antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli isolates in extraintestinal infections.

RESULTS: All isolates tested were CTX-M producers. Most of the isolates were positive for blaTEM; while 47% were positive for blaSHV. Certain virulence markers (PAI ICFT073, PAI IICFT073 and PAI IV536) were associated with the CTX-M-15 type.

CONCLUSIONS: The current study investigated the prevalence of the ESBLs and virulence markers among different extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli. The findings of the study concur with previous investigations in regards to the presence of certain virulence determinants (PAI ICFT073, PAI IICFT073 and PAI IV536); found in multi-drug resistant clones such as ST131. A novel DNA fragment (597 bases) was identified, and the full sequence of the site is being investigated to retrieve the mosaic structure of the island.