RESEARCH ARTICLE


Detection of Plasmid-Mediated qnr Genes Among the Clinical Quinolone-Resistant Escherichia coli Strains Isolated in Tehran, Iran



Reza Ranjbar1, *, Sajjad S. Tolon1, Mehrdad Sami2, Reza Golmohammadi1
1 Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
2 Department of Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran


Article Metrics

CrossRef Citations:
6
Total Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 4556
Abstract HTML Views: 2379
PDF Downloads: 1048
ePub Downloads: 777
Total Views/Downloads: 8760
Unique Statistics:

Full-Text HTML Views: 2225
Abstract HTML Views: 1231
PDF Downloads: 674
ePub Downloads: 441
Total Views/Downloads: 4571



Creative Commons License
© 2018 Ranjbar et al.

open-access license: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0), a copy of which is available at: (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode). This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Molecular Biology Research Center, Systems Biology and Poisonings Institute, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Tel: 00989123048157; E-mail: ranjbarre@gmail.com


Abstract

Background:

Escherichia coli is one of the most important bacterial agents to cause urinary tract infections. Inappropriate and unnecessary administration of antibiotics has led to an increase in the appearance of multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates, limiting treatment options. The increase in a number of resistant strains of bacteria is a major concern of health authorities worldwide.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to determine the presence of the qnr genes among E. coli isolated from UTIs of patients in Baqiyatallah hospital in Tehran province, Iran.

Method:

Clinical urine samples of patients with suspected urinary tract infection were collected by standard methods in sterile disposable containers. After analysis of urine, microscopic observations and culture analysis, the bacterial genome was extracted by boiling method. PCR for detection of qnr genes including qnrA, qnrB and qnrS was done by specific primers, then PCR products were run using gel electrophoresis and visualized by gel documentation system.

Results:

In the present study among the 95 isolates, 60 strains were resistant to nalidixic acid. PCR showed that 92 strains were positive for qnrS. The qnrA and qnrB genes were not found among the clinical isolates.

Conclusion:

Our finding indicates a high level of resistance against nalidixic acid among E. coli isolates recovered from the patients with UTI. Also, the high frequency of qnrS imposes the importance of survey of molecular and genetic analysis of mechanisms of quinolone resistance in E. coli strains.

Keywords: Antibiotic resistance, E. coli, qnr, PCR, Clinical strains, UTIs.