Characteristics of Streptococcus agalactiae causing urinary tract infections: Emergence of new sequence types ST74 and ST38 in Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Biology, North Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

4 ATMP Department, Breast Cancer Research Center, Motamed Cancer Institute, ACECR, Tehran, Iran

5 Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Objective(s): Difficult-to-treat Streptococcus agalactiae infections are increasingly described in patients with urinary tract infections (UTIs). This occurrence could be due to the production of virulence determinants. This study aimed to characterize the molecular features of S. agalactiae responsible for UTIs.
Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 70 S. agalactiae isolated from UTIs were examined. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the disk diffusion method. All S. agalactiae isolates were confirmed by atr and dltS PCR assays. Virulence, alpha protein-like, and pilus island genes were detected by PCR. Isolates were characterized using the multilocus sequence typing method. 
Results: Multidrug resistance was observed in 80% of isolates. Five virulence profiles were detected, wherein cylE, lmb, bca, rib (35.7%), cylE, lmb, alp3 (27.1%), and cylE, lmb, bac, rib, alp2 (21.4%) were the most frequent detected profiles. S. agalactiae was isolated and categorized within three clonal complexes (CCs) including CC22 (40%), CC17 (25.7%), and CC23 (20%). The main sequence types (STs) found were ST22 (27.1%), ST23 (17.1%), ST17 (12.9%), ST31 (8.7%), ST40 (8.7%), ST74 (7.1%), ST48 (4.3%), ST890 (4.3%), ST189 (2.8%), ST38 (2.8%), ST52 (2.8%), and ST155 (1.4%). ST74 and ST38 were reported for the first time in Tehran-Iran. 
Conclusion: This study highlights the predominance of the CC22 lineage among S. agalactiae strains isolated from UTIs in Tehran, Iran, and highlights the significant penetration of this lineage into hospitals. MDR patterns among these strains appear to be becoming a major concern in the management of infections. 

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Main Subjects

References

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Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences
Volume 26, Issue 12
December 2023
Pages 1416-1422

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