Biofilm formation and antimicrobial resistance pattern of uropathogenic E. coli ST131 isolated from children with malignant tumors.

The multidrug-resistant clone identified as Escherichia coli sequence type 131 (E. coli ST131) has spread world-wide. This study sought to ascertain the frequency and biofilm formation of E. coli ST131 isolated from children with various malignancies. A total of 60 uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolates from children without cancer and 30 UPEC isolates from children with cancer were assessed in this study. The microdilution method was used to investigate the sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics. The microtiter plate (MTP) approach was used to phenotypically assess biofilm formation. The lasR, pelA, and lecA biofilm-encoding genes were detected by PCR in biofilm-producing isolates of E. coli. Thirty-seven out of 90 E. coli isolates were found to be ST131 (41.1%), with 17 (56.7%) from cancer-affected children and 20 (33.3%) from children without cancer, respectively (P-value = 0.036). The frequency of antimicrobial resistance was higher in ST131 strains were compared to non-ST131 strains and when they were isolated from healthy children vs. those who had cancer. In contrast to non-ST131 isolates, ST131 isolates were more biofilm-producers. There was a significant difference between the percentage of biofilm producers between the 22 (100%) ST131-O16 isolates and the 13 (86.7%) ST131-O25b isolates (P-value = 0.04). Children with cancer are more likely than children without cancer to develop biofilm forming E. coli ST131, the latter having a higher profile of antibiotic resistance. Interestingly, E. coli ST131 isolates from non-cancer patients had higher levels of overall antibiotic resistance and while more E. coli ST131isolates from cancer patients formed biofilms.

High incidence of fosfomycin-resistant uropathogenic E. coli among children.

BACKGROUND: There are few epidemiological or molecular data on Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains resistant to fosfomycin. In this study, we described the occurrence and characterization of fosfomycin-resistant uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) isolated from children. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out on 96 E. coli isolates obtained from children with urinary tract infections. Two methods were performed to detect fosfomycin resistance: The agar dilution method and the rapid fosfomycin test. The disc diffusion method was done to detect the antimicrobial susceptibility pattern of all isolates. The phylogenetic grouping of all isolates was done according to the modified Clermont method. Conventional PCR was performed to detect plasmid-mediated fosfomycin-resistant genes (fos genes) and the blaCTX-M gene. RESULTS: Analyses of data were performed by SPSS software. A high percentage of fosfomycin resistance (37/96; 38.5%) was reported among UPEC isolates. The fosfomycin-resistant strains showed a higher resistance rate than fosfomycin-susceptible isolates to different antibiotics. E group (62.2%) was the most predominant phylogenetic group among the fosfomycin-resistant UPEC isolates, followed by Group B2 (21.6%) and group D (13.5%). The fos genes were detected in 21 isolates with the fosA3 gene as the most frequent, which was detected in 11 isolates followed by fosA (8), fosC2 (4), fosA4(1), and fosA5(1) genes. CONCLUSION: This is the first report of a high prevalence of plasmid-mediated fosfomycin-resistant UPEC in Egypt. All of these isolates were multidrug-resistant to the tested antibiotics. Close monitoring of such strains is mandatory to prevent widespread dissemination of the genes code for antibiotic resistance.

Hepatitis B virus genotype D predominates HBsAg-positive egyptian blood donors and is mainly associated with a negative HBeAg serostatus.

OBJECTIVES: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a global health burden. In this regard, Egypt has an intermediate HBV seroprevalence. HBV is classified into ten different genotypes (A-J) with different geographic distributions. Genotype D is the most prevalent in the Middle East. Limited data are available about HBV genotyping among Egyptian blood donors, particularly in Upper Egypt. We examined the seroprevalence of HBV among 12,000 blood donors attending the blood transfusion services center in Minia Governorate, Upper Egypt. METHODS: HBsAg and HBeAg were examined by ELISA while HBV-DNA was examined by PCR. HBV genotyping was conducted by restriction fragment length polymorphism. RESULTS: HBsAg was detected in 237 donors (1.98%). The HBV-DNA of 50 donors with the highest HBsAg OD was examined for the HBV genotype. All 50 DNA-positive samples were of genotype D. 82% of the DNA-positive donors were males, coinciding with their representation in the cohort. ALT levels were normal in 88% of genotyped subjects, while 84% of them were HBeAg negative. CONCLUSION: Taken together, these data indicate that HBV genotype D is the predominant genotype among HBsAg-positive blood donors in Upper Egypt and was in >80% of the subjects associated with a negative HBeAg serostatus.