BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Escherichia-coli is one of the major causes of urinary tract infection (UTI). The strains of this bacterium have a variety of virulence factors, such as iron acquisition systems, that provide the energy for iron transport in bacterial membranes. This study aimed to determine the frequency of pathogenic Aerobactin genes among the UTI-causing strains of E. coli isolated from patients referring to Baghiatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran.

METHODS: This study was conducted on 50 isolates of E. coli provided from UTI patients within the age range of 9 months to 87 years from May 2014 to November 2014. E. coli strains were identified via standardized microbiology and biochemical lab techniques, and the frequency of Aerobactin genes in the isolates of the bacterium were measured via the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.

FINDINGS: In this study, PCR was successfully able to create the proper band size of 602 bp, and the presence of aerobactin was confirmed in 44 isolates of E. coli (88%).

CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, the frequency of virulent aerobactin genes among the UTI-causing strains of E. coli was considerably high, which is an alarming signal of the prevalence of virulent strains among different patients.