The Correlation between Adhesion Genes and Biofilm Formation among Escherichia coli Clinical Isolates.

BACKGROUND: The adhesion genes are responsible for biofilm production which leads to chronic diseases like urinary tract infections (UTIs). Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) is the most predominant pathogen involved in UTIs. This study aims to evaluate the relationship between adhesion genes and bacterial biofilm that form by UPEC. METHODS: Fifty clinical isolates of E. coli from patients infected with UTIs were identified and antimicrobial resistance was tested by MIC assay. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a quick and sensitive assay to identify the adhesions operon (Afa, papG, flu, and fimH), was developed using eight primers and used for amplification. E. coli K-12 strain and E. coli J96 were used as a negative and a positive control for detection of adhesion genes. RESULTS: The study reported 70% of isolates produce strong biofilm. Adhesion genes showed as follow Afa (64% n = 33), papG (42% n = 23), flu (94% n = 52), fimH (86% n = 45). CONCLUSIONS: The resistance to non-Beta lactam antibiotic was significantly correlated with the availability of genes that encode for adhesion. These genes were highly correlated to biofilm formation in E. coli clinical isolates.

Immunological and Some Biological Biomarkers in Patients Infected with Moraxella Catarrhalis.

BACKGROUND: Moraxella catarrhalis is the most common gram-negative bacteria pathogen that affects the human. The current study was carried out to investigate M. catarrhalis infection and how it modulates some biomarkers. METHODS: The samples were collected from 100 patients diagnosed with respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia, otitis media, and tonsillitis. Cultural characteristics were for the colonies cultured on blood and hot blood media. Microscopic method, biochemical tests, and Vitek 2 system was tested and they showed that ten isolates were M. catarrhalis. RESULTS: Out of 10 isolates, 8 isolates (80%) were ß-lactamase-producing. The sensitivity of the isolates was deter-mined against seven antibiotics, and they showed multidrug resistance (MDR). All isolates showed 100% resistance to Ampicillin and Ceftazidime; however, the isolates showed less resistance to Meropenem and Imipenem. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to determine the levels of Anti-DNA, IgM, IgG, IL-1ß and hs-CRP in the patient serum. The infected serum with M. catarrhalis showed normal levels of Anti-DNA and IgM compared to control group, while the serum with high levels of IgG, IL-1ß, and hs-CRP were recorded (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The multi-antibiotic resistance of M. catarrhalis plays an important role in raising pro-inflammatory markers such as IgG, IL-1ß, and hs-CRP levels, which may subsequently affect the respiratory tract.