Virulence Gene Transcription, Phylogroups, And Antibiotic Resistance Of Cervico-Vaginal Pathogenice.Coliin Mexico

The pathogenicity ofEscherichia colistrains that cause cervico-vaginal infections (CVI) is due to the presence of several virulence genes. The objective of this study was to define the variability regarding the genotype of antibiotic resistance, the transcription profiles of virulence genes after in vitro infection of the vaginal cell line A431 and the phylogroup composition of a group of cervico-vaginalE.colistrains (CVEC). A total of 200E.colistrains isolated from Mexican women with CVI from two medical units of the Mexican Institute of Social Security were analysed.E.colistrains and antibiotic resistance genes were identified using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and phylogroups were identified using multiplex PCR. Virulence gene transcription was measured through reverse-transcriptase real-time PCR after infection of the vaginal cell line A431. The most common antibiotic resistance genes among the CVEC strains wereaac(3)II, TEM,dfrA1,sul1, andqnrA. The predominant phylogroup was B2. The genes most frequently transcribed in these strains werefimH,papC,irp2,iroN,kpsMTII,cnf1, andompT, mainly in CVEC strains isolated from chronic and occasional vaginal infections. The strains showed a large diversity of transcription of the virulence genes phenotype and antibiotic resistance genotype, especially in the strains of phylogroups, B2, A, and D. The strains formed 2 large clusters, which contained several subclusters. The genetic diversity of CVEC strains was high. These strains have a large number of transcription patterns of virulence genes, and one-third of them carry three to seven antibiotic resistance genes.