Prevalence of Class I, II and III Integrons in Uropathogenic Escherichia ColiStrains Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection in Shiraz, Iran

Transfer of antibiotic resistance genes by integrons is the main cause ofdrug-resistant bacteria. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of class I, II, and III integrons amonguropathogenic Escherichia Coli (UPEC) strains isolated from patients with Urinary tract infection (UTI).

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 50 UPEC strains isolated from patientswith UTI referred to hospitals in Shiraz, Iran in 2020. Antibiotic susceptibility pattern was evaluated bythe disk diffusion susceptibility test. Then, the prevalence of class 1 to 3 integrons in the isolates wasinvestigated by the polymerase chain reaction test. Data were statistically analyzed in SPSS softwareusing chi-square test. P≤0.05 was statistically significant.

42% of isolates had multi-drug resistance. The highest antibiotic resistance and sensitivitywere related to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (52%) and gentamicin (90%), respectively. Therewas a significant relationship between the presence of class I integron and resistance to amikacin andciprofloxacin, between the presence of class II integron and resistance to gentamicin, and between thepresence of class III integron and resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and nalidixic acid (P<0.05).

There is a significant association between the presence of class I, II and III integrons andantibiotic resistance in UPEC strains isolated from patients with UTI. Infection control measures andsuitable treatment methods are needed for preventing the spread of these isolates in the hospitals andhealth centers in Shiraz city.