Biofilm Formation and Antibiotic Resistance in Uropathogenic <i>Escherichia coli</i> : A Molecular Characterization and Antibiogram Study

Biofilm formation is a key virulence factor in urinary tract infections, and <i>Escherichia coli (E. coli)</i> serves as a prominent causative agent, more resistant to antimicrobial agents. This study focused on isolation and phenotypic and genotypic characterization of <i>E. coli</i> from urine samples on the basis of their biofilm-forming capacity. In the present study, a total of 804 human urine samples were collected from different clinical facilities of Faisalabad. After phenotypic and genotypic affirmation, biofilm forming potential of uropathogenic <i>E. coli</i> (UPEC) was determined by using microtiter plate assay (MPA) and the Congo red agar method. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted, and a comparison was executed between biofilm formers and non-formers. Biofilm production by the MPA and Congo red agar methods was 88% and 68%, respectively. UPEC isolates showed maximum resistance to amoxicillin-clavulanate (97%), cefoparazone (93%), cefotaxime (91%), and ampicillin (90%). Significant association between resistance to antibiotic and biofilm formation with <i>p</i> value <0.05 was observed in case of piperacillin-tazobactam, imipenem, meropenem, amikacin, norfloxacin, nitrofurantoin, polymyxin B, and nalidixic acid. Biofilm producer strains were progressed for molecular characterization using polymerase chain reaction for biofilm-forming genes including <i>fim</i>H, <i>csg</i>A, <i>bcs</i>A, <i>agn</i>43, <i>pap</i>C, and <i>foc</i>G, which showed prevalence of 89% (118/132), 87% (116/132), 86% (114/132), 81% (107/132), 47% (61/132), and 33% (43/132), respectively.