الفهرس | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) is a significant opportunistic human pathogen that causes high fatality rates in burn centers. The ability of P. aeruginosa to form biofilms on biotic and abiotic surfaces has a significant role in the pathogenesis of the organism. This study’s objective is to identify and characterize P. aeruginosa from cutaneous infections in Ismailia healthcare facilities by using conventional PCR. Out of 450 samples of skin swabs that were collected throughout a year, 126 positive P. aeruginosa isolates were found. Biochemical tests (cetrimide test, pigment, catalase, oxidase, citrate and gelatin hydrolysis) served as the basis for the identification. The results of two tests for biofilm activity qualitative using Congo red media and quantitative using the Microtiter Plate Method showed that 17.5% of the samples developed strong biofilms and 43% formed moderate biofilms. A pattern analysis of antimicrobial susceptibility to 17 different antibiotics of biofilm-forming isolates’ revealed that 35.3% of them were multi-drug resistant (MDR) isolates. By using conventional PCR, the distribution of virulence genes involved in the formation of biofilms (PslA, PelA), exoenzyme (ExoU), exotoxin (ToxA), neuraminidase (Nan1), and alginate biosynthesis (AlgD) was determined among isolates. This revealed that 100% of the isolates possessed AlgD gene, 94% had PslA, 91% had Nan1, 86 % carried PelA and ToxA and 74% had ExoU. Key words: Multi drug resistant; Biofilm formation; Pseudomonas aeruginosa; algD; pslA; pel A; toxA and exoS. |