Detection of Adhesion Encoding Genes, Antibacterial Susceptibility and Biofilm Formation of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Urinary Tract Infections in Children

Background Objective: Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common infections in children worldwide and Escherichia coli is the main pathogen that can cause UTI. The current study aims to investigate the antibacterial susceptibility pattern, biofilm production, and determine the frequency of afa and sfa genes in E. coli strains isolated from pediatrics with UTI from 2018 to 2019 in Hamadan, Iran. Materials Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 112 E. coli strains were collected from children with UTI. Disc diffusion method was performed to determine antimicrobial susceptibility. The PCR was used to detect the existence of afa and sfa genes. A microtiter plate assay was performed to test the biofilm production ability. Results: 81 (72.32%) of the 112 E. coli strains isolated from UTI samples were positive for biofilm development (22.2% strong, 33.3% moderate, and 44.4% weak). The afa and sfa genes were detected in 29.4% and 49.1% of the isolates, respectively. Most isolates were resistant to cephalothin (76.79%) and sensitive to imipenem and meropenem (100%). Conclusion: The afa and sfa genes have a significant correlation with strong biofilm formation in uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC).