Molecular Detection of Plasmid-Mediated Quinolone Resistance in Ciprofloxacin-Resistant Escherichia coli from Urine of Patients attending Garki Hospital, Abuja, Nigeria

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) caused by Escherichia coli (E. coli) is common worldwide; and its successful treatment using antibiotics is limited by acquisition of resistance by the bacteria. This study investigated the occurrence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) genes in ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli from urine of patients with suspected cases of UTIs attending Garki Hospital Abuja (GHA), Nigeria. A total of 8 confirmed ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli was screened for carriage of PMQR genes using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The occurrences of the PMQR genes detected were in the order: aac-(6′)-Ib-cr (87.5%) > qnrB (50.0%) > qnrS (37.5%) > oqxAB (12.5%) > qnrA(0.0%). qnrB and qnrS did not exist alone, but in combination with other genes; aac-(6′)-Ib-crexisted both alone and in combination with others; the most prevalent patterns of existence were aac-(6′)-Ib-cr alone and aac-(6′)-Ib-cr + qnrB + qnrS at 25.0% each. This study has shown that the ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli harbored aac-(6′)-Ib-cr, qnrB, qnrS and oqxAB PMQR genes, with aac-(6′)-Ib-cr being the most prevalent. The genes were present either alone or in combination with one another. This has implication for the clinical application of fluoroquinolones to treat UTI in the study location and environs.