Distribution of sdiA quorum sensing gene and its two regulon among Salmonella serotypes isolated from different origins

A Relationship Between O-Serotype, Antibiotic Susceptibility and Biofilm Formation in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is a well-known pathogen that has perturbed the medical scenario because of its resistance to diverse therapeutic drugs and its ability to form a biofilm. Different O-serogroups are the prevalent cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs) along with their ability to form a biofilm. The present research aimed to assess antibiotic susceptibility, biofilm formation, and serotyping of UPEC isolates in conjunction with the demographic data. Antibiotic susceptibility was determined using the Kirby-Bauer method and biofilm formation was assessed phenotypically and at the molecular level. Serotyping was performed by multiplex PCR. A significant proportion of the total of 120 UPECs was isolated from women (p < 0.05). Most isolates were resistant to cefotaxime, ceftazidime, and tetracycline, but maintained their sensitivity to imipenem. O₂₅, O₁₅, O₈, and O₇₅ were the most commonly detected serogroups. Moreover, O₂₅, O_15, and O₈ were the highest biofilm-producing serogroups among the UPEC isolates. Serogroups O₇₅ and O₂₁ were significantly associated with diabetic patients and subjects with renal disease, respectively (p < 0.05). Overall, our results show that UTI incidence in women should be a subject of concern. The high prevalence of the O₂₅ serogroup associated with a specific antibiotic profile and a high percentage of biofilm formation suggests a close relation between serogroups and characteristic features of UPEC isolates.