Profiling of Virulence-associated Factors in Shigella Species Isolated from Acute Pediatric Diarrheal Samples in Tehran, Iran

The genus comprises the most infectious and diarrheagenic bacteria causing severe diseases, mostly in children under five years of age. This study aimed to detect nine virulence genes ( , , , , , , , , and ) in species (spp.) using multiplex polymerase chain reaction (MPCR) and to determine the relation of spp. from pediatric diarrheal samples with hospitalization and bloody diarrhea in Tehran, Iran. spp. were isolated and identified using standard microbiological and serological methods. The virulence genes were detected using MPCR. Seventy-five spp. (40 , 33 , 1 , and 1 ) were isolated in this study. The prevalence of , , , , and was 74.7%, 45.4%, 28%, 24%, and 24%, respectively. All isolates, while no , , or isolates, contained , , and . All isolates were positive for , , and , while one (1.4%) of the isolates contained . The highest prevalence of virulence determinants was found in serotype IIa. Nineteen (57.6%) of 33 isolates were positive for , , , , and . The determinants were found to be statistically significantly associated with hospitalization and bloody diarrhea ( = 0.001). This study revealed a high prevalence of enterotoxin genes in , especially in serotype 2a, and has presented relations between a few clinical features of shigellosis and numerous virulence determinants of clinical isolates of spp.