Study of Antimicrobial Resistance, Biofilm Formation, and Motility of Pseudomonas aeruginosa Derived from Urine Samples

Abstract

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes urinary tract infections associated with catheters by forming biofilms on the surface of indwelling catheters. Therefore, controlling the spread of the bacteria is crucial to preventing its transmission in hospitals and the environment. Thus, our objective was to determine the antibiotic susceptibility profiles of twenty-five P. aeruginosa isolates from UTIs at the Medical Center of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (CHTMAD). Biofilm formation and motility are also virulence factors studied in this work. Out of the twenty-five P. aeruginosa isolates, 16% exhibited multidrug resistance, being resistant to at least three classes of antibiotics. However, the isolates showed a high prevalence of susceptibility to amikacin and tobramycin. Resistance to carbapenem antibiotics, essential for treating infections when other antibiotics fail, was low in this study, Notably, 92% of the isolates demonstrated intermediate sensitivity to ciprofloxacin, raising concerns about its efficacy in controlling the disease. Genotypic analysis revealed the presence of various β-lactamase genes, with class B metallo-β-lactamases (MBLs) being the most common. The blaNDM, blaSPM, and blaVIM-VIM2 genes were detected in 16%, 60%, and 12% of the strains, respectively. The presence of these genes highlights the emerging threat of MBL-mediated resistance. Additionally, virulence gene analysis showed varying prevalence rates among the strains. The exoU gene, associated with cytotoxicity, was found in only one isolate, while other genes such as exoS, exoA, exoY, and exoT had a high prevalence. The toxA and lasB genes were present in all isolates, whereas the lasA gene was absent. The presence of various virulence genes suggests the potential of these strains to cause severe infections. This pathogen demonstrated proficiency in producing biofilms, as 92% of the isolates were found to be capable of doing so. Currently, antibiotic resistance is one of the most serious public health problems, as options become inadequate with the continued emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant strains, combined with the high rate of biofilm production and the ease of dissemination. In conclusion, this study provides insights into the antibiotic resistance and virulence profiles of P. aeruginosa strains isolated from human urine infections, highlighting the need for continued surveillance and appropriate therapeutic approaches.

Enzyme Production and Inhibitory Potential of Pseudomonas aeruginosa: Contrasting Clinical and Environmental Isolates

“…Several studies have explored the enzyme production profiles of P. aeruginosa isolates from clinical sources [ 9 , 10 , 11 ]. These investigations have revealed significant variations in the enzyme production across different clinical specimens, with hemolysin and protease being the most commonly produced enzymes [ 12 , 13 ].…”

Determination of Antimicrobial Resistance and the Impact of Imipenem + Cilastatin Synergy with Tetracycline in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolates from Sepsis

“…Several primers were tested for genes encoding resistance to different antibiotics: class A ESBLs (bla TEM , bla SHV , bla CTX , bla PER ), class A carbapenemases (bla KPC , bla IMI ), class B Metalo-β-lactamases (MBLs) (bla SPM , bla IMP , bla Vim , bla Vim-2 , bla NDM ), class D β-lactamics (bla OXA , bla OXA-48 ), fluoroquinolones (qnrS, qnrA), aminoglycosides (aac(6 )-aph(2 ), aac(3)-II, aac(3)-III, aac(3)-IV, ant(6 )-Ia, ant(4 )-Ia and ant(2 )-Ia), and efflux pump (oprD). All primer sequences were the same as already published in de Sousa et al [16].…”

“…All isolates were screened for genes encoding virulence factors via PCR: genes encoding type IV pili (T4P) (pilB, pilA), alkaline protease (aprA), exotoxin A (toxA), T6SS effector proteins (tssC), phospholipase (plcH), elastases (lasA, lasB), the las quorum-sensing system (lasR, lasI), T3SS effector genes (exoU, exoS, exoA, exoY, exoT), rhl quorum-sensing system genes (rhlR, rhlI, rhlA/B), and alginate (algD). All primer sequences were the same as already published in de Sousa et al [16].…”

“…All strains in our study contained the oprD gene, which encodes a substrate-specific outer membrane porin in P. aeruginosa. This porin facilitates the diffusion of basic amino acids and the small peptide imipenem into the bacterial cell [16]. However, the oprD gene shows high polymorphism [53].…”

Evaluation and analysis of multidrug resistance- and hypervirulence-associated genes in carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains among children in an area of China for five consecutive years

“…Exploring the coexistence of drug resistance genes and virulence genes is of great importance for the treatment of patients. Although there is currently information on the resistance and virulence genes of P. aeruginosa , the characteristics of various strains vary due to factors such as different targets of action, different sample sources, and different regions ( Takata et al, 2018 ; de Sousa et al, 2023 ; Poursina et al, 2023 ). There are still few research papers and reviews on the correlation between CRPA infection in children in the Suzhou area.…”