The bacterium Escherichia coli is one of the best free-living organisms studied in depth. It is a surprisingly diverse species, since some strains of E. coli live in the intestine of animals as harmless commensals, while other distinct genotypes, such as an enteropathogenic or enterohemorrhagic E. coli, for example, cause morbidity and death marked as human intestinal pathogens. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a PCR assay for a known and suspected uropathogenic E. coli virulence factor (kpsMT) gene region to determine the distribution of the gene and its role in the development of clinical diseases of the urinary system. A total of 25 urine samples were collected from patients with urinary tract infection (UTI) at Azadi and Kirkuk hospitals in the city of Kirkuk, Iraq. Samples of both genders and different ages were collected from patients with suspected urinary tract infection according to the clinical manifestations and symptoms diagnosed by the examining physician. The samples were cultured and positive samples were subjected to the IMViC test to identify E. coli bacteria and subsequently identified using the Vitek 2 compact system. Among 25 samples, 24 (96%) showed positive results for bacterial cultural growth. Of these, 17 (68%) were identified as Escherichia coli. Of the total of 17 isolates, 14 from patients with mild urinary tract infection, and 3 from patients with Urosepsis. The kpsMT gene was present in 14 isolates (82.3%), including 11 (78.5%) isolates from patients with mild urinary tract infection, and 3 (100%) isolates from patients with Urosepsis. It was concluded that Escherichia coli is the most prevalent in urine tract infection samples. Due to the abundance of the kpsMT gene in uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), this gene plays an important role in developing UTI if it is not treated correctly and quickly; mild cases of UTI can turn into Urosepsis.
Recurrent urinary tract infection due to co‐infection with extended spectrum β‐lactamase‐producer uropathogenic Escherichia coli and enteroaggregative E. coli
