Typing of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection in Isfahan Province and Genetic Classification of Serogroup O25 Isolates by Random Amplification of Polymorphic DNA- Polymerase Chain Reaction Method

Introduction & Aim: Urinary tract infections are one of the most common bacterial infections and are predominantly caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of O-serogroups among E. coli isolated from patients with UTI in Isfahan province and genetic classification of O25 serogroup isolates by RAPD-PCR method. 226 urine samples from patients with UTI were collected from hospitals in Isfahan province. E. coli isolates were identified using standard methods. Serogroups of these isolates were determined by PCR method and genetic classification of isolates with serogroup O25 was performed using RAPD-PCR method. A total of 96 E. coli strains were isolated from the urine samples. The most common types of O antigens were O25 (37.5%), O21 (9.37%) and O6 (8.33%) The genetic classification of isolates with serogroup O25 showed 27 different profiles among these 36 isolates. In UPEC, the O-serogroups can be related to the virulence factor profile of each strain. The RAPD-PCR method can be used for the detection of relevant E. coli strains from clinical and/or environmental samples. High genetic diversity in isolates indicates different sources of urinary tract infection to E. coli