Characterization of uropathogenic Escherichia coli strains obtained from urology outpatient clinic of Ege Medical Faculty in İzmir

Aim: To identify the papG gene and its allelic variation in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains isolated from patients with acute pyelonephritis and cystitis. Materials and methods: Seventy-five E. coli strains isolated from patients admitted to the University of Ege Medical Faculty urology outpatient clinic were isolated and identified phenotypically. All of these strains were examined for the papG gene and allelic distribution of this gene with the multiplex polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: papG genes were found in 24 of 75 E. coli strains. Of these 24 strains, 7 (29%) had papG class II only, 8 (33%) had class III only, and 9 (38%) had both class II and III. Phylogenetically, it was found that 31 belonged to group B2, 19 to group D, 20 to group A, and 5 to group B1. Serotyping was performed and the positivity was found to be 39%. When the antibiotic resistance profiles of the 75 strains were evaluated, 41 (55%) of them were found to be resistant to ampicillin, 35 (47%) to ciprofloxacin, and 35 (47%) to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. In addition, 23 strains (31%) produced extended-spectrum beta-lactamase. Conclusion: In this study, the rate of papG-positive strains was found to be low. However, there is no consensus on the molecular definition of UPEC. Although the presence of the papG gene indicates that the strains are UPEC, absence of the papG gene does not suggest that the strains are not UPEC.