Background Escherichia coli is the most common cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially in young women. 1 E. coli is responsible for more than 80%-90% of UTI among the community and 30%-50% in the hospitals. In addition, this bacterium is one of the main causes of hospitalization with significant complications and high health care costs. 2 The verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) strains secrete a type of toxin which is called verotoxin due to its ability in killing Vero cells. Further, because of the similarity of verotoxin to the Shiga neurotoxin which is secreted by Shigella dysenteriae, type I is called Shigalike toxin and the strains which secrete it are referred to as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC). 3 Furthermore, the verotoxins are categorized into stx1 and stx2 groups. These toxins inhibit the synthesis of proteins through affecting the ribosomal RNA, and the types of E. coli that produce these toxins are called STEC. The STEC strains are an important group of zoonotic and foodborne pathogens in human that can cause various diseases such as bloody diarrhea, hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP). 4 A number of current studies have shown that about 20 000 instances of infection and 250 cases of death are annually reported due to the consumption of contaminated foods by STEC in the United States. 5 Today, it is well known that STEC is intermittently isolated from cattle and sheep stools, and as a result it can contaminate the meat of these animals. 6 Objectives This study sought to examine the presence and expression of the stx1 gene in E. coli isolated from women with UTI in Tabriz. Materials and Methods Sample Collection A total of 25 E. coli isolates were evaluated in this study, which were identified in our previous studies by the biochemical tests administered to women with UTI. The E. coli samples were isolated from women with UTI who referred to Asadabadi hospital in Tabriz. The collected
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