Identification and Antimicrobial Resistance of E.Coli Isolated from Patients with Colorectal Carcinoma in Thi Qar Province

Colorectal cancer is a third most prevalent cause of tumorigenesis and several pathogenic bacteria have been correlated with aggressive cases of cancer i.e., genotoxin (colibactin) producing Escherichia coli (E. coli). This study was designed to investigate the pathogenic E. coli isolates from colorectal tissue were characterized based on morphology, antibiotic resistance pattern and risk factors association with CRC. Moreover, E. coli isolates were screened for the presence of the Pks (polyketide synthase) Island specifically targeting colibactin genes (cIbB and uidA). This results revealed a significant increase in the mean of age in CRC patients compared to the benign group (P:0.001). In addition, the CRC incidence was increased significantly in urban areas (72.5%) compared to rural areas (27.5%) (P:0.001). Moreover, 100% of these isolates were resistant to Meropenem and 80% of these isolates were resistant to ciprofloxacin, Ceftazidime, Rifampin, and Erythromycin. The presence of cIbB and uidA genes did not show a significant association when comparing colorectal tissues to benign colon tissues. This is the first study on identification and antimicrobial resistance of E.coli among CRC patients in this setting. This work provides local, specific data, which are crucial to understand and combat CRC in Iraq.