Distribution of Virulence-Associated and Aminoglycoside Resistance Genes Among Clinical Isolates of in the Southeast of Iran, During 2019-2023: A Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

(), included in the World Health Organization's list of critical priority pathogens, is considered a serious threat to public health. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of virulence-associated and aminoglycoside resistance genes in clinical isolates of .

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was carried out on 88 clinical isolates of . collected from patients at Zabol hospital, Iran. Isolates were identified using conventional microbiology tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Antibiotic susceptibility patterns were ascertained by the disc diffusion method. The prevalence of virulence-associated genes (, and ) and aminoglycoside resistance (AME) genes (, , , , , and ) was investigated by PCR.

RESULTS

The isolates were mostly resistant to kanamycin (73.8%) and streptomycin (69.3%). The most predominant virulence gene was , observed in 89.8% of isolates, followed by 55.7% and 14.8%. The most prevalent resistance gene was , which was detected in 35.2% of isolates, followed by 22.7% and 17%. In addition, sixteen different patterns of AME genes were observed.

CONCLUSION

Most investigated isolates of were positive for different virulence-associated and AME genes and therefore can play a significant role in life-threatening infections. Meanwhile, resistance rates to aminoglycoside antibiotics were high and it was primarily due to the presence of AME genes such as , ant , and .