
Association of Sulphonamide Resistance with Integron-bearing Uropathogenic Escherichia coli in Alexandria, Egypt
Int.J.Adv.Microbiol.Health.Res.2019; 3(3):1-9
Publisher: IJAMHR, Category: Current Issues
Abstract
Introduction: Escherichia coli is by far one of the most common Enterobacteriaceae associated with community- and hospital-acquired infections. The dissemination of sulphonamide resistanceis causing serious problems in the treatment of infections worldwide. Of additional concern, some sulphonamide resistance genes are related to the presence of integrons which leads to transfer of these antibiotic resistance genes among other bacterial isolates. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of sulphonamide resistance and to reveal the relatedness between sul genes with integron-associated int genes. Materials and Methods: Fifty-five uropathogenic Escherichia coli isolates were collected and their resistance to 27 antimicrobial agents was tested. PCR analysis was carried out to observe integron-associated int genes (both int1 andint2) and also 2 different sul genes, namely sul1 and sul2. Results: Forty-eight (87.3 %) isolates were multidrug-resistant, with the highest resistance (89 %) detected against beta lactams. Among the 55 isolates, 31 (56.4 %) were sulfonamide resistant. Of these sulfonamide resistant isolates, 25 (80.6%) carriedsul genes, where 23 (74.2%) and 22 (71%) contained sul1 and sul2, respectively. Twenty-one of 23 (91.3 %) harboring the sul1 gene, whilst 20 of 22 strains (90.9%) positive for sul2 gene, were positive for int1. Class II integrase was not detected among the isolates. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study in Egypt revealing the strong association of sul genes with class I integrase among uropathogenic E. coli isolates. Conclusion: Multidrug resistant E. coli are increasingly being reported worldwide mainly in developing countries like Egypt. The occurrence and prevalence of integron was found to play an essential role in the dissemination of sulphoanmide resistance genes.
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