Genotyping of Escherichia coli Causing Vaginal Infection in Dysplastic Patients with Similar Genetic Backgrounds Between Commensal and Virulent Strains

Background: Escherichia coli in the vagina includes several virulence factors in its genome mobile genetic elements and can facilitate colonization, mainly in immunosuppressed patients. Objectives: This work aimed to demonstrate that E. coli strains of vaginal origin isolated from dysplastic patients possess virulence and resistance genes Methods: This study included one hundred and five E. coli strains isolated from women with cervical dysplasia and vaginal infection. The strains were characterized by antimicrobial susceptibility. The Clermont algorithm performed the phylogenetic assignment. The structure of class 1 integrons was performed by identifying integrase (int1), the variable region, and qacEΔ1-sul1 genes. The variable region was amplified, sequenced, and analyzed. Enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) PCR and virus typing typed strains with identical genetic arrangements by detecting virulence genes related to cytotoxicity, adherence, and iron uptake. Results: Escherichia coli strains showed great resistance to β-lactams and quinolones, and phylogenetic assignment showed that the group A/C was highly predominant. Sixteen integrons were identified, with monogenic arrays represented by aadA1, dfrB4dfrA7, dfr2D, and dfrA17 cassettes. The prevalence of the biogenic arrays aadA1/dfrA1 and aadA5/dfrA17 was lower than that of blaOXA-1/aadA1. Concerning virulence genes, fimH, traT, and iutA were the most predominant. Conclusions: The high incidence of virulence and resistance factors in commensal and virulent strains of E. coli revealed potential tools in the pathogenesis of vaginal infection.