ISSN: 0973-7510

E-ISSN: 2581-690X

Research Article | Open Access
Rasha G. Mostafa1, Sahar A.M. Ali1, Kamel Shoueir2, Athar F. Lasheen3, Aya E. Tayel1 and Mona S. Sabal1
1Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt.
2Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Kafrelsheikh University, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.
3Department of Critical Care Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufia University, Egypt.
Article Number: 10091 | © The Author(s). 2025
J Pure Appl Microbiol. 2025;19(3):2141-2153. https://doi.org/10.22207/JPAM.19.3.43
Received: 23 November 2024 | Accepted: 28 April 2025 | Published online: 03 September 2025
Issue online: September 2025
Abstract

One of the most significant pathogens involved in urinary tract infections is Uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC). In addition to assessing biofilm production and the effect of gold and silver nanoparticles on the isolated strains’ ability to form biofilms, the study intended to determine the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR) UPEC in patients who were admitted to Menoufia University Hospitals with both hospital-acquired (HA) and community-acquired (CA) urinary tract infections (UTIs). E. coli strains were isolated from 312 urine samples, and the antibiotic resistance profile of the isolated strains was evaluated using the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion technique. Using the tissue culture plate method, biofilm production was identified, and certain virulence genes were found. Lastly, biofilm development following incubation with different concentrations of both nanoparticles was measured to assess how well gold and silver nanoparticles inhibited biofilm formation. From 312 urine samples used, 100 E. coli were isolated. Of these isolates, 58 (58%) were isolated from HA-UTI and 42 (42%) from CA-UTI patients. Biofilm was produced by 89.5% of catheterized and 80% of non-catheterized HA E. coli, compared to 66.7% of CA isolates. MDR rates were not 44.7% for catheterized, 45% for non-catheterized hospital-acquired and 33.3% for community-acquired E. coli isolates. About 96% produced FimH, 24% produced Sfa and 68% produced IutA. Antibofilm effect of silver was much better than gold nanoparticles. FimH, Sfa and IutA were more predominant among HA isolates than community. Biofilm formation is effectively inhibited by silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). Therefore, AgNPs can be used in medical devices to stop biofilms from forming, whereas gold had a much less effective antibiofilm effect.

Keywords

Biofilm, UPEC, MDR, Silver-gold Nanoparticles

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© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License which permits unrestricted use, sharing, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.