Integrons and multidrug resistance across phylogenetic groups of clinical isolates of Escherichia coli

Our results show that phylogenetic classification of <i>E. coli</i> is not relevant with antimicrobial resistance. However, there was strong association between the integron classes and resistance against β-lactam and fluoroquinolones antimicrobials. Additionally, this study highlighted that the presence of integrons plays a crucial role in the development of multidrug resistance in clinical isolates of <i>E. coli</i>. Most significantly, this is the first report of detection of three classes of integron among clinical isolates of <i>E. coli</i> in Pakistan.