Abstract / Summary
Abstract Urinary tract infection is a common infectious disease of the urinary system, with Escherichia coli as the main pathogen. At present, the abuse of antibiotics has led to a gradual increase in the drug resistance rate of Escherichia coli . The yqgE gene, whose specific functions remain unclear so far, is highly expressed in persister bacteria, which may be one of the reasons for the frequent recurrence of conditions in patients with urinary tract infections. This study analyzes the relevant information, expression levels, drug resistance status and pathogenicity of the yqgE gene of Escherichia coli isolated from patients with urinary tract infections. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR), drug susceptibility analyzers and LDH cytotoxicity colorimetric assay were adopted to detect the yqgE gene of Escherichia coli in clinical samples. The experimental results show that Escherichia coli isolated from clinical urine specimens usually presents high yqgE gene expression. Compared with strains with low yqgE expression, strains with high expression have more drug-resistant strains against ampicillin and cefuroxime axetil. Isolates with high yqgE expression exhibit stronger cytotoxicity, and the yqgE gene is correlated with the lon gene, both of which regulate the biological characteristics of Escherichia coli . The detection of the yqgE gene can provide experimental evidence for it to serve as a novel indicator to support clinical diagnosis and treatment decisions.