Antibiotic resistance patterns and sequencing of class I integron from uropathogenic Escherichia coli in Lebanon

To study the prevalence and molecular basis of antimicrobial resistance in UPEC. PCR was used to detect the presence of the Class I integron variable region (VR). The VR amplicons were then characterized by partial sequencing and restriction digestion with AluI. VR negative isolates showed more antibiotic susceptibility than VR positive isolates. 30% of the isolates were positive for the VR and carried the genes dfrA7, dfrA17-aadA5, dfrA1-aadA1, dfrA12-orf5-aadA2 and blaOXA₋₃₀-aadA1. Five restriction patterns were detected and isolates with the same VR amplicon size had the same restriction pattern. Our data demonstrated that Class I integrons are widely disseminated in Lebanon and showed their importance for the occurrence and transmission of multidrug resistance. These findings will facilitate greater understanding of the factors that contribute to the presence and transfer of integron-associated antibiotic resistance genes in UPEC.