Association of the genes encoding Metallo-β-Lactamase with the presence of integrons among multidrug-resistant clinical isolates of .

Metallo-β-Lactamases (MBL) are usually encoded on the gene cassettes harboring integrons and disseminated easily among isolates. This study was aimed to investigate the association of the genes encoding MBL with the presence of class 1 and 2 integrons among multidrug-resistant (MDR) isolates. A total of 85 non-duplicated isolates were collected and evaluated for the amplification of The presence of genes encoding MBLs, including and , as well as and was evaluated by PCR. Also, the production of MBLs was screened phenotypically by the combination of EDTA and meropenem. In this study, 77 out of 85 isolates were MDR. Also, 34 isolates had only , 10 had only and 15 had both and . The phenotypic detection of MBLs was found in 30 isolates, among which was as the most common the gene encoding MBL followed by and . The gene cassettes analysis revealed that class 1 integron is often responsible for transferring the genes harboring MBLs. The production of MBLs among strains is one of the main mechanisms of resistance to carbapenems. Therefore, the development of inexpensive screening methods for the phenotypic detection of MBLs in clinical laboratories settings is essential. Also, our data revealed that the class 1 integron is often responsible for the dissemination of the MBL genes among isolates.