Characterization of antibiotic resistance and virulence factors of Escherichia coli strains isolated from Iranian inpatients with urinary tract infections.

In summary, our results showed a remarkable rate of drug resistance and heterogeneity for virulence factors among E. coli strains isolated from UTIs in the north of Iran. The emergence of such strains can be a predictive marker for their persistence in the hospital and consequently a significant threat for hospitalized patients.