Antibacterial Activity of Pyracantha Coccinea Ethanolic Fruit Extract Against Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli Isolated from Patients with Urinary Tract Infection in Kirkuk, Iraq

Introduction: Urinary tract infection (UTI) is one of the most common bacterial infections with high prevalence, especially in women. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) are the most frequent aetiological agents of uncomplicated and recurrent UTIs. Objective: The study was conducted to evaluate the phenotypic and antimicrobial susceptibility characteristics and antibacterial activity of Pyracantha coccinea (P. coccinea) ethanolic fruit extract against UPEC isolates from patients attending Kirkuk Governorate Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Iraq. Methods: This cross-sectional laboratory-based study was carried out between October 2025 and March 2026 at Kirkuk Governorate Maternity and Children Hospital and the Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Kirkuk. Standard microbiological methods were used to culture midstream urine samples obtained from patients clinically suspected of UTI. Bacterial identification of E. coli isolates was performed using conventional biochemical tests and the automated VITEK2 Compact system from bioMérieux (France). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing was conducted utilizing VITEK2 and the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion methods as per CLSI guidelines. The Kirby-Bauer method was used to test the antibacterial activity of ethanolic fruit extract of P. coccinea at concentrations of 25, 50, 75 and 100 µg/mL. Results: Positive cultures were detected on 110 (59.13%) patients. The most common isolate was E. coli 45 [76.27%]. Ampicillin, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone and tetracycline had very high resistance rates whereas carbapenems, nitrofurantoin fosfomycin and amikacin were more active. P. coccinea ethanolic extract has moderate antimicrobial activity against UPEC as denoted by the highest inhibition zone: 25 µg/mL (12.00 ± 0.58 mm). Although there were significant differences in extract concentrations (P = 0.008). Conclusion: A high rate of multidrug-resistant UPEC has been detected in UTI patients in Kirkuk. Based on the in vitro studies, P. coccinea ethanolic fruit extract had significant antibacterial activity and has the potential to be a natural source of antibacterials that can be further investigated through plant phytochemical and molecular characterization.