Detection of Fimbrial Adhesins of Escherichia coli Isolated from Pregnant and Non-Pregnant Women with Symptomatic Genital Tract Infection as a Risk Factor for Urinary Tract, and Neonatal Infections: a Comparison Study.

Abstract

Fifty two (17.3%) Escherichia coli isolates were obtained as a causative agent of symptomatic genital tract infection, from 299 (pregnant 156 and non-pregnant 143) patients aged 18-45 years. There is no significant difference between the two patient groups regarding the prevalence of E. coli which was isolated from 14.1% of pregnant and 20.9% of non-pregnant. As a whole 26.9% of this study isolates showed MRHA of human RBCs and 88.4% caused MS agglutination of Baker's yeast. The difference is not significant between pregnant and non-pregnant women’s isolates regarding the expression of Type 1 fimbriae (86.3% and 90% of pregnant and non-pregnant women’s isolates, respectively); P fimbriae (27.2% and 26.6% of pregnant and non-pregnant women’s isolates, respectively) and Dr fimbriae (0% in both patient groups). While the difference is clear for the expression of S fimbriae. S fimbriae were expressed only by non-pregnant women’s isolates (6.6%) whereas none of the pregnant women’s isolates expressed this type of fimbriae. All the S fimbriated isolates were P- (2/2: 100%) and Type 1-fimbriated (2/2: 100%). In pregnant, all of the P-fimbriated isolates were also Type 1-fimbriated (6/6: 100%) while in non-pregnant, seven P-fimbriated isolates were also Type 1-fimbriated (7/8: 87.5%). From the present results it can be concluded that as vaginal E. coli may be one of the possible causes leading to UTI and neonatal infections, both pregnant and non-pregnant patients with genital tract infection caused by E. coli, have the same chance to contact UTI and there is a low frequency of neonatal infections caused by these patients' vaginal E. coli.