Abstract
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most frequent infectious diseases in the world. Most urinary tract infections are caused by Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), which is the main cause of UTIs, and it is resistant to a wide variety of antibiotics. The principal objective of this study is to be identifying uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strain using molecular identification method to achieve rapid bacterial identification. Samples were collected from fifteen female patients (18-35 years) infected with Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC). The samples were then randomly labeled from (1-15). All samples were obtained from the laboratory of King Fahad Hospital (KFH) in Jeddah city. Urine samples were inoculated on CLED agar, MacConkey, and Blood. Gram staining technique was used with optical microscopy to confirm the bacteria. Identification and susceptibility testing was performed using the VITEK 2 system. Molecular identification method was conducted using the traT and 16S rRNA gene. Obtained results showed that all samples were Lactose fermenters except for three samples which were lactose non-fermenting. E. coli by the Vitek2 technique system had acceptable, good, very good, or excellent identification after their identities were verified with the reference systems. The traT gene is considered the most prevalent virulence gene among UPEC strains. The results of the current study showed that the traT gene was detected in all UPEC samples. These results suggest that the traT gene can be considered as target for molecular identification of the UPEC. Compared with conventional methods that require few days, this method can make same day reporting possible for therapeutic interventions and consequently allow better patient management.