Immunological and molecular detection of biofilm formation and antibiotic resistance genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from urinary tract

Hatem Sahib  Abed; Seyed Masoud  Hosseini; Zainab Mohammed  Jassim

doi:10.18502/ijm.v17i3.18819

Hatem Sahib Abed Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Seyed Masoud Hosseini Department of Microbiology and Microbial Biotechnology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran
Zainab Mohammed Jassim Department Applied Biotechnology, College of Biotechnology, Al -Qasim Green University, Babylon, Iraq

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v17i3.18819

Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa; Pseudomonas infections; Antibiotic resistance; Biofilms

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is one of the most common causes of hospital-ac- quired infections. It is associated with high morbidity and healthcare costs, especially when appropriate antibiotic treatment is delayed. Antibiotic selection for patients with P. aeruginosa infections is challenging due to the bacteria's inherent resis- tance to many commercially available antibiotics. This study investigated antibiotic-resistance genes in isolated bacteria, which play a key role in disease pathogenesis.

Materials and Methods: 100 samples out of the 140 samples collected from urinary tract infections (UTIs) cases between December 15th, 2022, and April 15th, 2023, were included in the study. Identification of bacterial isolates was based on colony morphology, microscopic examination, biochemical tests, and the Vitek-2 system. Antibiotic resistance genes; Aph(3)-llla, ParC, Tet/tet(M), and aac(6´)-Ib-cr were tested by polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Results: The obtained results were based on bacterial identifications of 81 clinical samples. Only 26 (32%) of these isolates were P. aeruginosa, 21 (26%) were Escherichia coli, and 18 (22.2%) were other bacteria. These isolates were used to detect four genes including tet(M), Aph(3)-llla, Par-c, and aac(6´)-Ib-cr. Four types of primers were used for PCR detection. The results showed that 11/14 (78.57%) carried the tet(M) gene, 10/14 (71.42%) carried the Aph(3)-llla gene, 14/14 (100%) car- ried the Par-c gene, and 10/14 (71.42%) of the isolates carried the aac(6´)-Ib-cr gene. The biofilm formation examining the esp gene, showed that 9 (64.28) isolates carried this gene.

Conclusion: The inability of antibiotics to penetrate biofilms is an important factor contributing to the antibiotic tolerance of bacterial biofilms.