Prevalence of Virulence Genes and Drug Resistance Profiles of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated From Clinical Specimens

Drug resistance and virulence genes are two key factors for the colonization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in settings with high antibiotic pressure, such as hospitals, and the development of hospital-acquired infections.

The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of drug resistance and virulence gene profiles in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa in Ardabil, Iran.

A total of 84 P. aeruginosa isolates were collected from clinical specimens of Ardabil hospitals and confirmed using laboratory standard tests. The disk diffusion method was used for antibiotic susceptibility testing and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the identification of P. aeruginosa virulence genes.

The highest and the lowest antibiotic resistance rates of P. aeruginosa strains were against ticarcillin-clavulanate (94%) and doripenem (33.3%), respectively. In addition, the frequency of multidrug-resistant (MDR) P. aeruginosa was 55.9%. The prevalence of virulence factor genes was as follows: algD 84.5%, lasB 86.9%, plcH 86.9%, plcN 86.9%, exoU 56%, exoS 51.2%, toxA 81%, nan1 13.1%, and pilB 33.3%. A significant association was observed between resistance to some antibiotics and the prevalence of virulence genes in P. aeruginosa.

Our results revealed a high prevalence of antibiotic resistance, especially MDR, and virulence-associated genes in clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa in Ardabil hospitals. Owing to the low resistance rates against doripenem, gentamicin, and tobramycin, these antibiotics are recommended for the treatment of infections caused by highly resistant and virulent P. aeruginosa strains.