Evaluation of pap and sfa Genes Relative Frequency P and S Fimbriae Encoding of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Isolated from Hospitals and Medical Laboratories; Yasuj City, Southwest Iran

Background: Urinary tract infections (UTI) are one of the common infections worldwide. Escherichia coli is the most common bacteria causing UTI. Objectives: The current study aimed at investigating the susceptibility pattern, biofilm formation, and the relationship between pap and sfa virulence genes and biofilm formation in E. coli strains isolated from patients with UTI from 2017 to 2018 in Yasuj City, Iran. Methods: In the current cross-sectional study, 130 E. coli strains were isolated from patients with UTI. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was performed by disk diffusion method. The presence of pap and sfa genes was investigated by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Biofilm formation was tested using microtiter plate assay and ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) reader for E. coli isolates. Results: Out of 130 E. coli strains isolated from UTI samples, 98 (75.38%) were positive for the biofilm formation, (14% strong, 31% moderate, and 53% weak). The pap and sfa genes were detected in 50% and 29% of the isolates, respectively. Majority of the isolates were resistant against ampicillin (80%) and susceptible to amikacin and meropenem (100%); the pap and sfa genes were detected in 92.85% and 85.71% of the biofilm-forming isolates, respectively. These genes in Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) have a significant relationship with strong biofilm formation (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: The obtained results indicated that the frequency of pap gene was higher than that of sfa in E. coli strains isolated from patients with UTI in Yasuj. The pap and sfa genes in E. coli strains had a significant relationship with strong biofilm formation. In addition, the frequency of biofilm formation in antibiotic-resistant E. coli was higher than that of antibiotic-sensitive strains. According to the results of the current study, it is recommended to administer Amikacin or Meropenem in Yasuj to treat UTI.