Fatemeh poudineh - Department of Microbiology, Gorgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran
Ania Ahani Azari - Department of Microbiology, Gorgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran
Leila Fozouni - Department of Microbiology, Gorgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Gorgan, Iran

Aims: Recently, overuse and misuse of antibiotics have led to the development of multidrug-resistant bacteria and infectious diseases caused by these organisms, increasing morbidity and mortality rate in patients. Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a common Gram-negative pathogen is predominantly responsible for hospital-acquired infections. In this study, the prevalence of multidrug-resistant (MDR), extensively drug-resistant (XDR), and pandrug-resistant (PDR) P. aeruginosa strains isolated from clinical specimens of patients admitted to a teaching hospital in Gorgan, Iran, was determined. Materials & Methods: Clinical samples of blood, urine, burn wound, eye, and secretions (pleural fluid, tracheal or bronchial aspirates and sputum) were collected from all hospitalized patients during a three-month period from April to June ۲۰۱۹. Using conventional biochemical methods, P. aeruginosa strains were identified, and the antibiotic resistance pattern was determined by Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. Findings: A total of ۴۰ (۲۵.۴%) P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from ۳۷۷ clinical specimens. Most of the P. aeruginosa strains were isolated from wound (۳۵%) and urine (۳۰%) samples. Most of the P. aeruginosa positive samples were recovered from intensive care unit (۳۲.۵%) and burn ward (۳۰%). The highest susceptibility was shown to fosfomycin (۱۰۰%), and the lowest susceptibility was observed to ceftazidime (۸۷.۵%), followed by aztreonam (۶۰%). Based on the results, ۵۲.۵ and ۲۰% of the isolates were MDR and XDR, respectively. All of the MDR isolates exhibited susceptibility to colistin. No PDR phenotype was observed. Conclusion: Continuous monitoring of drug resistant strains among clinical isolates of P. aeruginosa must be done to adopt effective strategies to decrease the threat of antimicrobial resistance.  

Drug -resistance, Phenotype, Prevalence, Pseudomonas aeruginosa