Viruulance factor and antibiotic resistance of Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolated from Iraq Al Yermuk hospital patients

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common gram-negative bacillus, has been related to nosocomial and community-based diseases. This versatile bacteria may thrive in healthcare institutions and the community due to its ability to overcome various environmental conditions. It causes pneumonia, urinary tract, and surgery-related nosocomial infections, as well as community-acquired illnesses. This cross-sectional study included collecting 150 urine samples from Iraqi females who suffered from urinary tract infections. All urine samples were undergoing urinalysis. The isolation and diagnosis of the bacterial isolates, as well as determining the resistance against antibiotics, were done by using culture media and biochemical tests and confirmed by using an automated VITEK Compact 2 system. All virulence-encoding genes were identified using the allele-specific PCR technique. Among 150 urine samples, only 80 were identified as culture-positive, and only 30 isolates were P. aeruginosa. A high occurrence of protein and color change was associated. All of the bacteria were resistant to cefotaxime, followed by norfloxacin, ceftazidime, piperacillin-tazobactam, and cefepime, ciprofloxacin, and, in addition, imipenem, meropenem, gentamicin, and amikacin had the lowest resistance. All isolates had the ability to form biofilms of various degrees (6, 8, and 16) that were strong, moderate, and weak, respectively. The prevalence of the virulence-encoding genes among isolates was 73.3%, 63.3%, 56.7%, 56.7%, and 53.3% for LasB, exoS, PIcH, algD, and exoA, respectively. In conclusion: The biofilm formation and high prevalence of virulence-encoding genes among P. aeruginosa isolates make them more resistant to a wide variety of antibiotics and enable them to survive in difficult environments such as nosocomial conditions. This may have contributed to the spread of multi-drug-resistant isolates and led to this significant medical issue. Keywords: Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Virulence factors, Antibiotics resistance, Bacteria