Prevalence Study of exoenzyme U (exoU) and exoenzyme S (exoS) Genes in Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Isolated from Burn Patients in Kermanshah City, Iran

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the major pathogens causing burnt wound infection in hospitals. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of exoenzyme U (exoU) and exoenzyme S (exoS) genes and the antibiotic resistance pattern of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from burn patient's samples in Kermanshah City, Iran.
In this cross-sectional study, 194 samples were tested with conventional bacteriological methods. After evaluation of antibiotic sensitivity with disc diffusion method, specific primers were deployed to assess the frequency of exoU and exoS genes among isolates. The retrieved data were analyzed using SPSS software.
Findings: From 91 isolates of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, 72 (79.1%) were multi-drug resistant (MDR) isolates. The most prevalent antibiotic resistances were against gentamicin (79.1%) and ceftazidime (74.7%); the most prevalent sensitivities were against colistin (100%) and polymixin B (92.3%). The frequency of exoU and exoS genes was 80.2% and 68.1%, respectively. There were significant relationships between the frequency of exoU gene and resistance to ceftazidime (P = 0.041) and cefotaxime (P = 0.050).
Considering the role of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in burn wound infections and the role of cytotoxin and antibiotic resistance genes in colonization and survival of this bacteria, avoiding home remedies, accurate detection of virulence factors, and recognition of antibiotic resistance pattern among the isolates in order to choose the appropriate antibiotic regimen to prevent infection seem to be necessary.