Detection of the Effect of Bee Propolis Ethanol Extract against Molecularly Identified Multiple-Drug Resistant Bacterial Isolates in Wounds of Hospitalized Patients in Ahvaz City, Iran

Multiple-drug resistance (MDR) is one of the medical challenges in medicine. The aim of present study was molecular identification of multiple-drug resistant bacterial isolates in wounds of patients in Ahvaz City, Iran, hospitals, and detection of the effect of bee propolis ethanol extract on these bacteria.
120 samples was obtained from bed, burn, and diabetic foot wounds of patients hospitalized in 5 hospitals in Ahwaz City from May to July 2016. Multiple-drug resistant isolates were selected using disk diffusion method and were identified via sequencing 16SrRNA gene. Propolis ethanol extract was prepared using soaking method and its effect as an antibacterial agent was tested on the isolates by well diffusion and microdilution methods.
Findings: 6 multiple-drug resistant isolates including Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus faecalis were identified among 25 antibiotic-resistant isolates from different wounds. The concentration of 25 mg/ml of propolis ethanol extract was effective on Gram-positive bacteria in well diffusion method. In microdilution method, the most sensitivity was seen in Staphylococcus aureus with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 25 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) of 50 mg/ml, and then in Enterococcus faecium, and Enterococcus faecalis minimum inhibitory concentration of 100 mg/ml and minimum bactericidal concentration of 200 mg/ml. Gram-negative bacteria were resistant to all concentrations of extract in both methods.
The isolated multiple-drug resistant Gram-positive bacteria which were from problematic agents in treatment of wounds, showed high sensitivity to propolis ethanolic extract.