Antibiotic resistance's Genotypic and Phenotypic Characteristics and the Frequency of Virulence Factors in Isolates Isolated from Water Samples in Iran.

is a pathogenic bacterium that can contaminate water. In this study, 430 water samples were evaluated for , antibiotic resistance, and the abundance of virulence factors. was isolated from 28 (6.51%) water samples. Among the types of water, well and spring water showed the highest with, respectively, 20 (15.6%) and 5 (8.06%) positive samples per type of samples. Drinking water and mineral water showed minor contamination with . The prevalence of antibiotic resistance against meropenem, imipenem, erythromycin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, and enrofloxacin was zero. The lowest and highest prevalence of antibiotic resistance was observed in drinking water and well water, respectively. The most abundant genes encoding antibiotic resistance in the were , , and . This study also showed that the most abundant virulence genes in strain isolated from water were (15 = 3.49%), (11 = 2.56%), (10 = 2.32%), and (7 = 1.63%). This study suggests that water may be a source of and contribute to releasing resistance genes through the food chain. Cross-contamination is the water transfer process that can cause contamination with in water. Therefore, hygienic principles can be effective in reducing water contamination.