Genetic diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns of Escherichia coli isolates causing septicemia: A phylogenetic typing and PFGE analysis.

Introduction: This study aims to analyze clinical isolates of E. coli causing septicemia across various phylogroups utilizing the PFGE method.

Materials And Methods: A total of 100 clinical isolates were collected. The presence of CTX-M, TEM, SHV, KPC, MBL and OXA-48 genes was detected by PCR. Additionally, phylotyping, serotyping, and virulence-typing assay were done by PCR and PFGE methods to investigate the genetic diversity of the isolates.

Results: The O1 serotype and the HlyA gene were the most prevalent serotype and virulence gene, respectively. Notably, 34% of the isolates harbored SHV, TEM, and CTX-M-1 β-lactamase genes. All isolates showed resistance to amoxicillin and tetracycline, but no resistance to fosfomycin was seen. The most and least common phylotypes, according to PFGE analysis, belonged to phylogroups B2 and B1, respectively.

Conclusion: The data offers valuable insights into the genetic diversity and antibiotic resistance patterns of E. coli isolates responsible for septicemia.