Hamadan University of Medical Sciences Avicenna Journal of Clinical Microbiology and Infection 2383-0298 2 4 2015 11 01 High Prevalence of Iron Acquisition Genes Among Acinetobacter baumannii Strains Isolated From Patients With Urinary Tract Infections in Southeast of Iran 30656 30656 10.17795/ajcmi-30656 EN Hossein Ali Abdi Bahman Hormozi Mohsen Najimi Nafiseh Noorzehi Journal Article 10.17795/ajcmi-30656 2015 07 12 2015 10 05 Background: Acinetobacter baumannii is the most clinically prominent species of the Acinetobacter genus and is commonly found in hospital environments. In mammals, the iron element is virtually unavailable to invading bacteria, being mainly incorporated into iron transport and storage proteins. Therefore, iron acquisition systems are important factors for the pathogenicity of A. baumannii strains. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of iron acquisition genes among A. baumannii isolates, collected from patients with urinary tract infections, for the first time in Iran. Patients and Methods: A total of 100 A. baumannii isolates were collected from patients with urinary tract infections in Zabol, southeast of Iran. All isolates were evaluated to determine the prevalence of iron acquisition genes, including tonB (TonB-dependent receptor), barA (acinetobactin ABC transporter), feoB (ferrous iron transport protein B), entA (acinetobactin siderophore precursor), A1S_2563 (siderophoreinteracting protein), and hemO (heme oxygenase) using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Results: A high prevalence of genes encoding iron acquisition systems were observed in A. baumannii isolates. The frequency of tonB, barA, feoB, entA, A1S_2563, and hemO genes were 85, 97, 99, 98, 99, and 95%, respectively. Based on the distribution of the various iron acquisition genes, all the studied isolates exhibited seven gene profile patterns. Conclusions: This is the first report on the prevalence of iron acquisition genes among A. baumannii isolates collected from patients with urinary tract infections. The high prevalence of iron acquisition genes in A. baumannii isolates suggests that these virulence factors play an important role in the development of urinary tract infections.