PROFILI DI ANTIBIOTICO-RESISTENZA IN RELAZIONE AI FATTORI DI VIRULENZA E AL GRUPPO FILOGENETICO IN ESCHERICHIA COLI UROPATOGENI ISOLATI DA CANI E GATTI

In this study we assessed the association among antibiotic resistance profiles, virulence genotype and phylogenetic group within a collection of Escherichia coli. Forty uropathogenic E. coli strains from dogs and cats with urinary tract infection were analysed by disk diffusion method and by PCRs. Results suggest that clinical isolates with a number ≥3 of virulence factors belong on the whole to phylogroup B2 (90.5%) and E. coli strains with a number <3 of virulence genes were distributed in all phylogenetic groups. Considering virulence factors association with antimicrobial resistance, no statistically significant results were obtained (P>0.05). Only gene iutA showed a trend of association with MDR (P=0.055). Resistant strains were distributed in all phylogenetic groups (57%, B2; 43%, non-B2), in contrast E. coli isolates susceptible were associated with group B2 (90%) and with group D (10%).